Here are the biggest protests happening in Chicago during inauguration weekend

With the inauguration underway, tens of thousands of Chicago residents and others from around the Midwest who want their voices to be heard are planning to make moves downtown through the course of the weekend. There are many different events and protests happening between now through Sunday, but the two biggest ones will be the gathering around the Trump International Hotel & Tower this evening and the Women’s March on Chicago on Saturday. Here’s a few more details on these different events and what one should expect when heading downtown.

Friday: Inauguration Day

Nearly 10,000 people have RSVPed on Facebook for various protests happening downtown this afternoon.

Student Walk Out — As the name of the action suggests, this event will see Chicago students walk out on classes and convene downtown this afternoon. Organizers are planning to meet at Daley Plaza starting around 2:00 p.m.

Occupy Inauguration Chicago — Aligned with the Occupy movement, this protest will also begin at Daley Plaza this afternoon, starting at 3:00 p.m. and ending around 5:00 p.m. Nearly 2,500 people have RSVPed as attending on Facebook, while another 7,800 people have shown interest.

Trump Tower protest — Chicago’s Trump Tower is a visible connection to our new president, and it has previously been a rallying point for protests in recent months. This evening starting around 5:00 p.m., thousands are expected to gather around the supertall tower. A Facebook event page for the action shows that nearly 10,000 people are committed to attending.

Saturday: Women’s March on Chicago

Aligned with marches all over the country, this call to action will begin Saturday morning at Grant Park starting at 8:30 a.m. A pre-rally concert will take place at Jackson Boulevard and Columbus Drive at 9:30 a.m. while speakers will take the stage starting at 10:00 a.m. Around 11:30 a.m. the march will begin, taking attendees from Grant Park to Federal Plaza at the Chicago Federal Center. According to the Tribune, 50,000 people are anticipated to participate in Women’s March.

Stretches of Monroe Street, Jackson Boulevard, and Columbus Drive will be closed to traffic throughout the morning and during the early afternoon. Meanwhile, to help alleviate congestion, the CTA will be running longer trains on the Blue, Brown, Green, and Orange lines from 5:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

• CTA to provide additional service for Chicago Women’s March [Curbed Chicago]
• Women's March on Chicago: What to know if you go [Curbed Chicago]