The President of the United States will be in Rochester, MN on Thursday, October 4, 2018. City officials are making preparations and asking residents and visitors to be aware of increased vehicle and foot traffic.
Here is what you need to know if you are attending President Trump's Rally.
Key Points
- Rochester Public Transit will be free all day
- Community and visitors are encouraged to use Park & Ride locations
- A ticket is required to attend the event (provided by event organizer)
- Roads will be closed around Mayo Civic Center (MCC)
- Library, City Hall and the Government Center will close at 3:00 p.m.
Parking
- Residents and visitors are encouraged to use special Park & Ride parking located at the West Lot of Rochester Community and Technical College.
- Frequent shuttle service to and from downtown will be offered for the entire day at no cost.
- The West Lot is located off of College Parkway SE on the west of campus. Buses will board at the designated Park & Ride stop at the center of the lot. If needed, overflow parking will be accommodated in the adjacent gravel lot.
- Rochester Municipal Parking ramps and lots are expected to fill early and remain full for the duration of Thursday.
Road Closures
- Road closures will begin at 8:00am on Thursday, October 4, 2018
- E Center Street from Civic Center Drive NE to the entrance of Mayo Field
- Civic Center Drive NE from E Center Street to 2nd Street SE
- 1st Street SE from 1st Avenue SE to Civic Center Drive NE
- 2nd Street SE from 1st Avenue SE to Civic Center Drive NE
- 3rd Avenue SE from 2nd Street SE to the entrance of the Ironwood Square Building
City of Rochester
- City Hall and the Government Center will close to the public at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday.
- There will be no public access into the building after 3:00 p.m. on Thursday.
- The public parking in the City Hall lot will be closed at 3:00 p.m. Thursday.
Pedestrian Trail Closures
- The pedestrian trail from E Center Street around the East side of the Mayo Civic Center will be closed to all pedestrian traffic starting at 8:00am on Thursday, October 4, 2018.
- Due to the expected crowds, anticipate impacts along the trails near the Mayo Civic Center.
Rochester Public Library
- The library will close at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday.
- All programming at the library has been cancelled for Thursday.
- The Friends of the Library Bookstore will be closed all day Thursday.
- Bookmobile service will not be impacted.
Mayo Civic Center
- The Mayo Civic Center and the Mayo Civic Center Box Office are closed to the general public on Thursday.
- Only conference attendees and those visiting for business purposes will have access to the building via the skyway check-point.
- The following items will not be permitted in the building: bags, backpacks, large purses, umbrellas, posters, banners, signs, professional cameras with detachable lenses, tripods, monopods, selfie sticks, and GoPro cameras.
- Entrance to the building for the President Trump Campaign Rally will be located off of the Riverfront Plaza, located on the south-side of Mayo Civic Center. The line will form here. Street level west entrances to the building will be closed to the public.
Rochester International Airport
- Commercial flights may experience delays between approximately 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. If you have a flight during that time frame, it is recommended to check your flight status with your airline.
- Private flights will not be permitted to operate between approximately 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. due to a temporary flight restriction.
- Spectators will need to park in the Airport main terminal parking lot. Parking fees will apply. Please note, the general public will not be allowed within the Airport perimeter fence.
Additional Details for President Trump Campaign Rally Event Attendees
- Tickets are required in order to enter the Mayo Civic Center for the rally.
- Tickets are not available at the Mayo Civic Center.
- If you do not already have tickets, you will not be able to enter the arena.
- More tickets have been distributed by the White House than space is available in the arena, therefore having a ticket does not guarantee admittance.
- Once the main arena is full, ticket holders will be invited to view the speech from an overflow area. Once that space is full, no one else can be admitted.
- Attendees are encouraged to plan ahead, and to consider taking advantage of the day’s free transit service to reach downtown.
- Be mindful of the restrictions outlined for items that cannot be brought into the arena.
- The Secret Service will be handling screening and admitting attendees to the arena.
- Mayo Civic Center staff and Rochester Police representatives will be overseeing activity outside of the arena.