Music fans headed to this year’s Riot Fest can ditch the traffic and parking fees by making Metra part of their travel plans.
To accommodate concertgoers, Metra BNSF trains will provide extra service and make extra stops at its Western Avenue Station on Saturday, Sept. 17 and Sunday, Sept. 18, providing a convenient way to travel to and from the festival. The station on Metra’s BNSF Line between Chicago and Aurora is a short walk from the festival site at Douglas Park in the North Lawndale community on Chicago’s West Side. A full schedule of BNSF service is available here.
Due to limited parking near the venue, Riot Fest organizers are urging fans to take public transportation, ride a bicycle or use a ride share service for travel to and from Douglass Park. To access the venue from the BNSF Western Avenue Station, concertgoers should walk west on 16th Street to California and north to Ogden, following Ogden west to the festival’s main entrance at Sacramento Drive.
Customers who use Metra’s other lines can also use public transit to travel to and from the festival. Fans who ride any of Metra’s other lines are encouraged to ride the CTA Pink Line from the Loop to the California Avenue stop. From the California stop, head north on California Avenue, make a left (west) on 19th Street, then a right on Albany Avenue. Head north on Albany Avenue, then turn right on Ogden Avenue to the festival entrance at Ogden and Sacramento Drive.
If you’re traveling on Saturday and/or Sunday, don’t forget about Metra’s $10 Weekend Pass, which provides unlimited rides on both days, or the $7 Saturday or Sunday Day Pass, good for unlimited rides on either day. The Weekend Pass can be purchased only via the Ventra app, which can be downloaded in the App Store or Google Play. The Saturday or Sunday Day Pass can be bought on the Ventra app or from an agent or conductor. Concertgoers are highly encouraged to use the Ventra app for tickets.