The United Center and McCormick Place: Behind the DNC Venues

The logo for the Democratic National Convention is displayed on the scoreboard at the United Center during a media walkthrough in Chicago, Ill., on Jan. 18, 2024. The convention is scheduled to be held in Chicago on Aug. 19–22, 2024. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Welcome to the United Center, the main venue of this year’s Democratic National Convention (DNC), held between Aug. 19 and Aug. 22.

This is where the speeches will be held in addition to the ceremonial roll calls to nominate Kamala Harris and Tim Walz as the party’s presidential and vice presidential nominees, respectively. The two have already been nominated due to a virtual roll call that concluded last week.

The United Center hosted the 1996 DNC, where not only President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore were nominated to represent their party’s presidential ticket before easily winning reelection, but also where attendees did the Macarena with First Lady Hillary Clinton clapping along to the jubilant beat. The center opened just two years earlier. This was the last time Chicago hosted the DNC.

Located on Madison Street in the Near West Side, the United Center is a 950,000-square-foot arena that has statues of Bulls icon Michael Jordan and Blackhawks legends Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull. Its seating capacity varies depending on the event, but its maximum capacity is 23,500, according to Ticketmaster.

It is “the largest available facility for holding the convention“ and ”has a national and international reputation,” given it is the home of the Bulls, Dick Simpson, a political science professor at the University of Illinois Chicago, told The Epoch Times.

The venue is known as the “Madhouse on Madison,” as passionate Bulls and Blackhawks fans are boisterous and euphoric when the teams are making a comeback or, even better, winning.

The United Center, like any arena, has concession stands. For those who want something to eat and food for thought, CNN and Politico are partnering to create a temporary venue just across the street.

The CNN-Politico Grill, which has been at conventions since 2004, will feature city food staples. These include deep-dish pizza and Vienna Beef hot dogs. The pop-up place will also feature interviews with prominent Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

Just make sure not to put ketchup on your hot dog, as that is taboo in Chicago.

McCormick Place

The other major venue for the convention, McCormick Place, is North America’s biggest convention center. Located on S. Martin Luther King Dr., it spans a couple of blocks just outside downtown. It is across from Wintrust Arena, home of the WNBA’s Chicago Sky and the Marriott Marquis.

The 2.6 million-square-foot place, named after the late Chicago Tribune publisher Robert McCormick, is known for hosting big events from auto shows to conferences.

The convention center will have vendors and “host 33 Caucus and Council meetings over the course of the convention that will be led by caucus and council chairs from across the country,” in addition to having “trainings on how to use organizing tools like the Reach app and issues focused messaging panels” and “polling briefings and skills building workshops,” according to the DNC. Reach is a group messaging platform.

The name of the programming at the venue is “DemPalooza,” a spin-off of the annual Lollapalooza summer music festival.

“DemPalooza is a reflection of our values as Democrats—of, by, and for the people. We are bringing together thought leaders, advocates, grassroots supporters, and every day Americans who want to get involved in our democratic process ahead of the most consequential election of our lifetime,” said DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison in a statement.

McCormick Place, said Simpson, “can more easily be configured to house” the meetings.

As a bonus, “it is on the beautiful Lake Michigan and near the Museum campus if delegates want to take a break for cultural entertainment,” said Simpson, referring to the 57-acre area consisting of the Field Museum of Natural History, the Shedd Aquarium, and the Adler Planetarium. The campus is near Soldier Field, home of the NFL’s Chicago Bears.

Chicago’s History of Hosting Party Conventions

The upcoming convention will be the city’s 12th Democratic convention out of 26 party conventions overall.

Before 1996, the Democrat Party’s conventions were held at the now-demolished Chicago Stadium, across the street from the location of the United Center, in 1932, 1940, and 1944, and at the extinct International Amphitheatre in 1952, 1956, and 1968. The 1968 one had riots surrounding the Vietnam War.

At the 1932 one, then-President Franklin Delano Roosevelt accepted his party’s nomination in person, the first to do so of any party in American history.

“He actually flew there from New York, and in that era, that was very modern,” historian Christopher Lynch told The Epoch Times.

Chicago hosted the DNC in 1888 at the Art Institute of Chicago Building, in 1892 at the Wigwam, and in 1896 at the Chicago Coliseum. All of those places have since been demolished.

At the end of the day, “Chicago represents both the heartland of America and a key urban center,” said Simpson, adding, “The election will be won in the midwestern state and the urban and suburban areas of the country.”