The live event is hosted by ABC7 sports anchor and "Windy City Weekend" host Ryan Chiaverini, reporter Liz Nagy and meteorologist Greg Dutra, reporting all the festivities from the street. Pasquale D. Gianni, attorney and Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans officer, will contribute color commentary from the broadcast area. The parade will air Monday, Oct. 14, from noon to 2 p.m., and will have an encore broadcast on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 11 p.m. Both broadcasts will be available on abc7chicago.com and ABC7's connected TV apps.
The 72nd annual Columbus Day Parade, produced by the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans, in partnership with ABC7, kicks off once again from State Street and Wacker Drive. The theme of the 2024 parade will be "Bridging Gaps, Celebrating Our Heritage and Protecting Our Culture."
The Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans is proud to welcome special Native American tribal representatives from the Dakota, Sioux, Creek Sioux, Navajo, Cherokee and Chippewa.
The 2024 parade chairman is Scott Harris of Scott Harris Hospitality. Harris is a national culinary icon with more than 25 top restaurants in the area, including the flagship concept Francesca's.
Parade grand marshals are legendary singer/songwriter Paul Anka, super sports agent Sean Stellato and "America's Got Talent" golden buzzer winner Sal "The Voice" Valentinetti.
The 2024 Columbus Day Parade queen, Ava Selvaggi, and her court, will be representing their proud Italian culture, as they wave to parade-goers along the route. Selvaggi is from Glen Ellyn, and has three siblings. She is proud of the fact that she is 100% Italian, and has always participated in Italian traditions. Her grandfather, Joseph Martucci, is a lifetime member of the JCCIA and one of the reasons she threw her hat into the ring for Columbus Day Parade queen.
SEE MORE: ABC7 celebrates Italian American Heritage Month with Columbus Day Parade
"I love to make my grandfather proud, and this was something he wanted for me. It's also wonderful sharing all the queen-related events with him and spending more time together," Selvaggi said.
Taking part in this year's celebration of Italian American heritage and riding atop the ABC7 float will be current and former members of ABC7's Eyewitness News team, including Jessica D'Onofrio, Eric Horng, Jason Knowles, Larry Mowry, Roz Varon and Stephanie Wade.
"Since 1952, the Columbus Day celebration has been a proud tradition for generations," said Ron Onesti, president of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans. "We value our great partnership with ABC7 to broadcast a parade like none other on State Street, that great street!"
The Columbus Day Parade takes place in October to coincide with Italian American Heritage Month, and celebrates the culture and many contributions of Chicago's lively Italian American Community. The celebration will include marching bands, floats and dignitaries. The JCCIA encourages all organizations, businesses and individuals to participate in celebrating Italian heritage and culture.
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About ABC7/WLS-TV Chicago
ABC7/WLS-TV Chicago is the No. 1 local news source and most-watched television station in Chicago. With top-rated daily newscasts spanning decades and the largest social media presence in the market with more than 2.3 million Facebook followers, ABC7 Eyewitness News provides breaking news, investigative reporting, weather, politics, traffic and sports in the multiplatform space to Chicago, the suburbs and northwest Indiana. Named Best News Operation by the Associated Press for four consecutive years, the station produces 41 hours of local news weekly and Chicago's only local weekday entertainment talk show, "Windy City Weekend," as well as its highest-rated New Year's Eve special. ABC7's award-winning programs such as "Our Chicago" showcase the city's diversity, while being the only Chicago station producing and broadcasting parades representing Chicago's rich cultural history. In addition to producing town halls focused on current social issues, the station has a long and proud tradition of broadcasting political candidate debates keeping Chicago's electorate informed. ABC7's outreach efforts include annual partnerships with the Red Cross for life-saving blood drives and, most recently, spearheading an effort to raise more than $1.5 million for area food pantries.