Chicago Fire FC Announces "A Celebration for All Chicago" as Club Fully Launches New Crest and Recognizes 150th Anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire and the Anniversary of the Club's Founding

CHICAGO (Sept. 9, 2021) - Chicago Fire FC today announced “A Celebration For All Chicago,” a week-long series of events and activations set to take place the week of Oct. 4-8 as the Club fully launches its new crest and recognizes the 150th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire and the coinciding anniversary of the Club’s founding in 1997. The celebration will culminate with “Ten/Eight: A Night at the Metro with Chicago Fire FC in partnership with Heineken” – a concert at legendary Chicago music venue Metro headlined by Chicago hip-hop artist SABA.

“As Chicago prepares to recognize the 150th anniversary of The Great Chicago Fire on Oct. 8, the event for which our Club was named, we’re excited to share details of our week-long celebration,” said Chicago Fire FC President Ishwara Glassman Chrein. “We’d like to invite all Chicago to join us as we commemorate the resiliency and rebirth of the city and all that makes Chicago and its people great.”

The week’s festivities begin on Monday, Oct. 4 as the Fire fully launch its new crest across all owned channels (website, social media, etc.) and go on sale with the first round of apparel featuring the new crest. The full list of the week’s events and activities are listed below with the day-by-day calendar following.

TEN/EIGHT: A NIGHT AT THE METRO WITH CHICAGO FIRE FC IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HEINEKEN [FRIDAY, OCT. 8]

The week’s biggest event takes place on Friday, Oct. 8 – the 150th anniversary of The Great Chicago Fire and the day Chicago Fire FC was founded in 1997 – when Chicago’s own SABA takes the stage for “Ten/Eight: A Night at the Metro with Chicago Fire FC in partnership with Heineken.” The event will be free to the public with a suggested $20 donation to the Chicago Fire Foundation at the door. Donations will help fund the Fire Foundation’s award-winning P.L.A.Y.S. Program in more than 40 Chicago Public Schools. Attendees will be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination and RSVP in advance in order to gain entry. Details for how to RSVP will be shared at a later date.

SECTION 8 CHICAGO OCT. 8 PARTY [FRIDAY, OCT. 8]

Prior to the event at the Metro on Friday evening, Section 8 Chicago and Chicago Fire supporter groups will host a special happy hour at Heineken Pub97, located at the CIBC Fire Pitch (3626 N Talman Ave.). The event will take place from 4:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. and will include drink specials and giveaways to celebrate the Club’s founding anniversary. A free-to-ride bus will provide transportation from the CIBC Fire Pitch to the event at the Metro throughout the evening.

SOHO HOUSE CHICAGO PRESENTS: SPORTS IDENTITY AS CULTURAL CONNECTION WITH MATTHEW WOLFF [THURSDAY, OCT. 7]

In a private, invite-only event at SOHO House Chicago in the West Loop, crest designer Matthew Wolff will host an intimate session to discuss the creation of Chicago Fire’s new crest, his experience designing team marks throughout the American soccer pyramid and his philosophy on sports identities as cultural connection. A select number of Chicago Fire Season Ticket Holders will be invited to attend the event and are encouraged to reach out to their Chicago Fire Account Executive to express interest in attending.

KIDS DAY AT THE CIBC FIRE PITCH [TUESDAY, OCT. 5]

It’s all about the kids on Tuesday, Oct. 5 in a special event at CIBC Fire Pitch (3626 N Talman Ave.) from 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. The evening’s activities will include a visit from the Club’s mascot Sparky the Dalmatian, interactive soccer games, giveaways, a DJ set and a patio BBQ with Fire players in attendance (and drink specials for the parents!). Kids under the age of 12 who sign up for the Chicago Fire Kids Club will receive new crest items and a special ticket offer for the team’s Oct. 23 match at Soldier Field. This event is open to the public.

NEW CREST MERCHANDISE + MERCH TRUCK [MONDAY, OCT. 4]

On Monday, Oct. 4, the Club’s all-new merchandise offerings will go live on MLSStore.com. Featuring the Fire’s new crest, the merchandise line will include items from adidas, Fanatics, Mitchell & Ness, New Era and Ruffneck Scarves. The Mitchell & Ness apparel includes a limited-edition line by Matthew Wolff who designed the Club’s new crest. The Club is also set to reveal a brand-new merchandise truck, which will make appearances at each of the week’s scheduled events and throughout greater Chicagoland. At each stop, the merch truck’s staff will also give away free stickers, patches and other items featuring the new crest. The merch truck’s full schedule will be shared at a later date.

SPECIAL TICKET OFFER FOR HOME FINALE ON OCT. 23

Throughout the week, event attendees will have access to a special ticket offer for the Fire’s home finale versus Real Salt Lake at Soldier Field on Saturday, Oct. 23. Through this exclusive offer, tickets start at $20 and will include $10 in Fire Bucks for use at concession stands with each ticket purchase. The Oct. 23 match will serve as Fan Appreciation Day presented by 7UP. The first 10,000 fans through the gates that evening will receive both a hat and flag featuring the Fire’s new crest – with post-match fireworks scheduled to close out the evening.

FIRE MURALS ACROSS CHICAGO

Over the course of the next several weeks, a series of large-scale murals featuring the Club’s new crest will go up around the city. The first murals in the series will be installed by Chicago-based artists Fedz (Mural location: Pilsen), Anthony Lewellen (West Loop), and Dwight White (Chatham). Each will paint a mural inspired by Chicago’s youth and the ideals of hope, aspiration, and reinvention. Additional artists and locations will be announced in the coming weeks.

6 FIGGA DILLA ON THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE

In recognition of the 150th anniversary of The Great Chicago Fire, the Club is collaborating with “Your Favorite Neighborhood Historian” Shermann “Dilla” Thomas - who goes by 6 Figga Dilla on social media - to recount how the Second City got its second star. Dilla’s history lessons on TikTok have been featured in the Chicago Sun-Times, on WGN and WBEZ. You can follow him on TikTok and Twitter at @6figga_dilla.