So long NYC! The NFL Draft is coming to the windy city in 2015.

“Chicago is pleased to welcome the 2015 NFL draft to America’s heartland,” Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement. “Next year, NFL fans from across the country will travel here or tune in as the future of their team is
decided in Chicago.”

The draft will be at the Auditorium Theatre of
Roosevelt University in Chicago from April 30 to May 2, a week earlier than last year and a week later than normal. New for 2015, There will be an outdoor fan festival for all three days of the draft in Grant Park and Congress Plaza.

“We are excited to have fans from throughout the Midwest
experience the NFL draft,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in the statement. “We look forward to returning the event to the city of Chicago and working with the city, Choose Chicago, and the Chicago Sports Commission to create a weeklong celebration of football for our fans.”

This move of the draft came as a result of scheduling issues which forced the draft to be delayed this year and Radio City Music Hall to already booked in 2015 during the dates the NFL was considering for the event. Interestingly enough, Chicago is not a completely new location for this major NFL event. The NFL draft was originally held in Chicago in 1938, 1942-44, 1951, and 1962-64.

“There’s been so much interest in the draft,” said Chicago Bears chairman George H. McCaskey. “Just a couple years ago who would have thought that an event of this type would have the type of viewership that it has had? It has grown into a spectacle —
probably the biggest event of the offseason.”

What do you think about the NFL draft returning to Chicago? Tweet us @InsuringEvents