CHICAGO FIRE Stars to Serve as Grand Marshals of Great Chicago Fire Festival

Television and film actors Jesse Spencer and Taylor Kinney, both stars of the hit NBC drama "Chicago Fire," will lend their heat to the inaugural Great Chicago Fire Festival, the free spectacle of fire on the Chicago River set to take place Saturday, October 4. The Great Chicago Fire Festival, celebrating Chicago's grit, greatness and renewal following the historic Great Chicago Fire of 1871, is presented by Redmoon with the City of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and Chicago Park District. Activity takes place between the State Street and Columbus Drive bridges in the heart of downtown beginning at 8 pm.

Kinney and Spencer will ignite the festivities - literally - as they light one of 15 massive "Fire Cauldrons" that will be lowered from bridges to watercraft waiting on the Chicago River below. From there, an elaborate "Grand Spectacle" performance will unfold as the watercraft then ferry the flames out to three moored platforms, where giant "Fire Sculptures" will be set ablaze, transforming to reveal three different symbolic cores. Some 400 different performers and singers will participate in the event, which culminates with a choreographed fireworks display designed by Las Vegas-based company Pyrotechnico. The Great Chicago Fire Festival is completely free and no tickets are required.

Spencer stars as Matthew Casey, a strong intuitive Lieutenant who leads the Truck Company and is unwavering in his commitment to the job, in NBC's drama "Chicago Fire." An Australian native, Spencer made his American television debut in the critically acclaimed series "House," playing Dr. Robert Chase opposite Hugh Laurie for all of the show's eight seasons until the series ended in May 2012. Spencer's film credits include a starring role in "Uptown Girls" with Brittany Murphy, the biopic "Swimming Upstream" with Geoffrey Rush and Judy Davis, as well as Spike Lee's independent feature "The Girl Is in Trouble." He has worked extensively in the U.K. and Australia, both in television and theater. He starred in the acclaimed BBC drama "Death in Holy Orders" and has had starring roles in the BBC adaptation of "Lorna Doone" and Hallmark's "Stranded." He began his career starring in the long-running Australian soap, "Neighbours."

Kinney stars as Kelly Severide, a brash Lieutenant who runs the Rescue Squad with an unflappable veneer, in NBC's drama "Chicago Fire." On television, Kinney has a variety of credits including a series regular role in NBC's 'Trauma" and the recurring role of Mason Lockwood on "The Vampire Diaries." He starred in the Michael Patrick King pilot for NBC, "A Mann's World," opposite Don Johnson, and he has appeared on such shows as "Breakout Kings," Castle," "Shameless," "Rizzoli & Isles," "Bones" and "CSI: NY." Kinney recently starred alongside Cameron Diaz and Lesley Mann in the 2014 Fox comedy hit, "The Other Woman," directed by Nick Cassavettes and will appear in the following films next year: "Rock the Kasbah" directed by Barry Levinson and the independent "Food" directed by Daryl Wein. Additional big screen credits include Kathryn Bigelow's "Zero Dark Thirty."

"Chicago Fire" is produced by Wolf Films in association with Universal Television.

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