Several high-profile events to take place in Springfield this weekend

SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - A number of high-profile attractions are expected to bring tens of thousands of people to downtown Springfield in the coming days.

Some of the world’s most elite athletes, some of the funniest people you know, and multi-platinum-selling pop artist Bruno Mars are all coming to Springfield this weekend and local officials are putting out a traffic advisory and safety notice for people to look out for.

The weekend kicks-off on Thursday night with Amy Poehler and Tina Fey making a stop at the MassMutual Center on their ‘Restless Legs’ tour. Next, Bruno Mars will take the stage on a two-day stop in Springfield on Saturday and Sunday night.

However, just before Sunday night’s Bruno Mars show, Ironman 70.3 Western Massachusetts will showcase some of the best athletes when it kicks off earlier that morning. MGM Springfield spokesperson Beth Ward told Western Mass News that it’s a line-up of events that is expected to draw massive crowds.

LEARN MORE: Road impacts and closures for Ironman 70.3 Western Massachusetts

“The next few days are going to be incredibly exciting, thrilling. It’s going to be a vibe in downtown Springfield that we have not seen,” Ward explained.

City leaders want people to know ahead of time about road closures and the best spots for parking. For the shows at the MassMutual Center, the city is asking drivers to take advantage of the over 9,000 parking spaces in downtown Springfield.

Meanwhile, for the Ironman competition on Sunday, portions of State and Main Streets will be closed, while West Columbus Avenue and the State Street bridge will have partial closures. Springfield Public Works Director Chris Cignoli went into more detail about the city’s plans to direct the traffic.

“This is rigidly timed, through a little bit of a turnover there, shows when we can expect people to get to point ‘A’…the first people, the last people. We’re able to deconstruct where we have traffic issues,” Cignoli said.

Springfield Police Superintendent Cheryl Clapprood added that officers will be on-duty throughout the weekend to direct traffic and set up security measures.

“We had a meeting this morning. It was very successful. Right now, pole cameras are going up right now, so we can cover the entire run. We’ll have two command centers. We have a command post that will be on riverfront,” Clapprood said.

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