The ACU Police Department plans to bring order to the chaos of Sing Song parking this weekend.

Tom Craig, director of student activities and productions, said Sing Song will bring in more than 8,000 guests over the weekend, putting a strain on the available parking on the ACU campus.

“Saturday night will be by far the biggest show with about 4,400 people, Saturday afternoon we will see about 3,800 guests,” Craig said.

This is the busiest time of the year for the ACUPD who are challenged with parking duty. ACU Police Chief Jimmy Ellison said after 13 Sing Songs, he knows what to expect.

“In terms of parking and traffic, Sing Song is certainly the most difficult event we manage, especially the Saturday evening performance, which is complicated by the large President’s Circle Dinner, which occurs immediately prior to and during the Saturday night Sing Song show,” Ellison said.

To accommodate both events, ACUPD has to close certain parking lots on campus. The ACUPD will keep traffic flow as orderly and safe as possible by having clear signage, having officers at closures and officers directing traffic, Ellison said.

“But everyone needs to understand that the peak traffic times immediately before shows and after shows are somewhat chaotic,” Ellison said. “We depend on everyone to comply with barricades, follow directions from officers, expect congestion, arrive early and be prepared to walk.”

Parking lots on the south and east sides of campus will be the most available.

“I love the excitement on campus and the flood of visitors coming back to ACU. But I hate the fact that every year, we deal with frustrated, late-arriving patrons who expect a front-row parking space 10 minutes before show time,” Ellison said.

Ellison said he hopes people understand how overwhelmed the parking system becomes on Saturday afternoon and night and are able to enjoy the show.