SOUTH LOOP — If you want a chance to see President Barack Obama's farewell speech in person, you might want to start gathering up your warmest clothes.
Obama will head to Chicago Jan. 10 for his farewell speech at McCormick Place, which will be a thank you to supporters and his thoughts on where to go moving forward.
Tickets to the event are free and will be distributed Saturday at McCormick Place, 2301 S. King Drive.
Though the White House has not announced what time the tickets will be handed out, more than 20,000 people on Facebook have expressed interest in attending, and many are planning to camp out in frigid weather Saturday morning in order to do so.
In a letter sent to the White House email list Monday, Obama said he is beginning to write his remarks for the speech.
"I'm just beginning to write my remarks," Obama wrote in an email. "But I'm thinking about them as a chance to say thank you for this amazing journey, to celebrate the ways you've changed this country for the better these past eight years, and to offer some thoughts on where we all go from here."
The White House said it will release more information about what time to get the tickets soon.
The speech will start around 5 p.m. on Jan. 10, and stream live here.
Obama ends his term as president and leaves the White House on the morning of Jan. 20. As President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated, large-scale protests are planned in Washington, D.C., and in Chicago.
Read President Obama's full letter to supporters here:
In 1796, as George Washington set the precedent for a peaceful, democratic transfer of power, he also set a precedent by penning a farewell address to the American people. And over the 220 years since, many American presidents have followed his lead.
On Tuesday, January 10, I'll go home to Chicago to say my grateful farewell to you, even if you can't be there in person.
I'm just beginning to write my remarks. But I'm thinking about them as a chance to say thank you for this amazing journey, to celebrate the ways you've changed this country for the better these past eight years, and to offer some thoughts on where we all go from here.
Since 2009, we've faced our fair share of challenges, and come through them stronger. That's because we have never let go of a belief that has guided us ever since our founding—our conviction that, together, we can change this country for the better.
So I hope you'll join me one last time.
Because, for me, it's always been about you.
President Barack Obama
