250,000 Participated In Women’s March On Chicago

CHICAGO (CBS) — More than 50,000 people were expected to rally Saturday downtown for the Women’s March On Chicago – but how much more?

The initial expectation more than tripled when officials announced 250,000 people were in attendance for the march.

An aerial view of the crowd participating in the Women’s March on Chicago (CBS/Chopper 2)

Around 10:30 a.m. organizers announced the group reached 150,000 and was the second largest women’s march outside of Washington.

And around 11:15 a.m. the city cancelled the march and organizers continued to rally in Grant Park.

Though some participants marched through the streets anyways.

By 12:45 Chicago became the largest women’s march outside of Washington with an estimated attendance count of 250,000 people.

The event began with a rally at 10 a.m. Saturday on Columbus Drive between Jackson and Monroe. A march to Federal Plaza was then scheduled for 11:30 a.m. but was later cancelled due to the park reaching capacity.

Chicago Police said the rally was peaceful. Participants began clearing the streets around 1 p.m. Streets slowly reopened.

Organizers want to make it known that this was not an Anti-Trump rally. It was a march on rights, especially women’s rights.

Organizers said the women’s march is meant to show global support for women’s rights, human rights and social justice.

Chicago’s march was just one of 250 scheduled around the world.