Columbus Day Parade Chicago 2022 returns to Loop | Watch ABC7 broadcast here

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A big crowd filled downtown Chicago on Monday afternoon for the city's annual Columbus Day parade.

The Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans, which serves the Chicagoland area, welcomed all to this year's parade. The day began with a Mass at the shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii and then a wreath laying ceremony in Arrigo Park.

Many attendees then made their way to the 70th annual Columbus Day parade, hosted by ABC7 Chicago's Val Warner and Ryan Chiaverini, that kicked off in the Loop at 1 p.m.