Everything You Need To Know Before 150,000+ People Flood Beirut For Pope Leo’s Mass
Beirut is preparing for massive crowds on Tuesday, Dec. 2, when Pope Leo will lead a public mass at the Beirut Waterfront at 10:30 am.
These are the detailed plans for road closures, shuttles, and on-site services to handle what could be more than 150,000 attendees .
Road closures
Closures roll out in three stages starting Monday, Dec. 1 .
Stage 1 - Dec. 1, Monday evening:
The entire Beirut Waterfront area is closed to vehicles and pedestrians.
Stage 2 - Dec. 2, Tuesday 12 am (midnight):
Stores, restaurants, and cafes near the Port entrance, Saifi, Annahar, Bab Idriss, Fakhreddine Street, and the Saint George Hotel will shut for the event.
Stage 3 - Dec. 2, Tuesday 4 am:
Closures extend to areas near the Emigrants’ Statue, Gemmayzeh Street, the Frères School, Burj al-Ghazal, the Ring Bridge, Murr Tower, Holiday Inn and Abdel Nasser statue.
To help crowds arrive, the highway from the Port of Beirut to Fouad Chehab Stadium in Jounieh will be closed from 7:30 to 9:30 am on Dec. 2.
The part from Jal al-Dib to Fouad Shehab Stadium reopens starting 9:00 am.
Drivers not attending the mass will be diverted at Nahr al-Kalb bridge and from the coastal road toward Burj Hammoud.
Shuttles to and from the mass
Buses will use a color-coded sticker system showing each bus’s region and villages:
North: yellow
Kesrouan: purple
Batroun and Jbeil: pink
Metn: blue
Beirut: green
South and Chouf: orange
Bekaa and Upper Chouf: red
Martyrs’ Square will serve as the drop-off point for clergy.
Shuttles to mass
Kesrouan: Beirut Port parking lot near the fish market
North: Parking lot behind City Mall, Dora
Chouf and Bekaa: Emile Lahoud highway parking (in front of the Ministry of Energy)
Jbeil and Batroun: Beirut Forum parking lot
Beirut: Horse racetrack parking lot
South: Sports City Stadium parking lot