Get ready to paint the town seafoam green.
The New York Liberty’s highly-anticipated ticker-tape parade will march Thursday morning up Manhattan’s “Canyon of Heroes” – and every New Yorker is invited to attend.
Spectators should expect floats, music, confetti – and, of course, the newly-minted WNBA champions themselves, according to the Downtown Alliance, which provides confetti and additional cleanup for the city-led event.
Sunday’s win marked the Liberty’s first WNBA Championship in 28 seasons with a nail-biting 67-62 Game 5 overtime victory over the Minnesota Lynx at their Barclays Center home arena.
“At a time when the rest of the country is finally acknowledging the endless talent in our WNBA, we are proud to have New York City bring home the trophy,” Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement announcing the celebration.
“To our WNBA champions, thank you for being a role model to our city, and showcasing the values of grit, determination, and hard work.”
Here’s everything you need to know about the ticker-tape parade:
What time is the parade?
The parade begins at 10 a.m. at Battery Place.
What is the parade route?
The parade will start in Battery Park and travel north along Broadway, or the “Canyon of Heroes,” and will conclude at noon.
A ticketed private ceremony at City Hall Plaza for the WNBA champions will follow.
For those unable to attend, a party and ceremony will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn from 7 to 10 p.m.
How will public transportation be impacted?
Several streets and subway stations will be closed as a result of the parade, and bus routes will be making detours, according to the Downtown Alliance.
Subway stations near City Hall, including the R and W City Hall station and the Nos. 4, 5, and 6 Park Row Plaza station, will have exits closed. The R and W trains will be skipping the City Hall station.
The Bowling Green station will only be accessible for ADA passengers. Other stations may be bypassed based on crowding. Up-to-date service information can be found on the MTA’s website.
Buses will be detoured from 10 a.m. to noon above Worth Street and Broadway.
The Downtown Connection bus service is suspended until Friday.
How will street traffic be impacted?
Parade organizers highly recommend lower Manhattan visitors use public transit Thursday morning as a “No Parking” order will be issued starting at midnight.
Starting at 9 a.m., the following streets will be closed, according to the Downtown Alliance:
- Broadway between Reade Street and Battery Place (closed to southbound traffic)
- State Street between Battery Place and Bridge Street
- Battery Place between West Thames Street and Broadway
- 3rd Place between Battery Place and Little West Street
- 2nd Place between Battery Place and Little West Street
- Little West Street between Morris Street and Battery Place
- West Street between Morris Street and Battery Place
- Morris Street between West Street and Washington Street
There won’t be any eastbound or westbound vehicle traffic crossing Broadway either; Church Street will stay open to vehicle traffic.
Pedestrians can cross Broadway at the following intersections:
- Cedar Street
- Chambers Street
- Cortlandt Street
- Exchange Alley
- Reade Street
- Vesey Street
Where can I watch in person?
The parade is free and open to the public along the Broadway route, but you’ll have to win a special ticket lottery to attend the post-parade ceremony at City Hall.
The city recommends parade spectators snag a spot before 9 a.m. – and those working in lower Manhattan should budget in extra time for the Thursday morning commute.
The best views from the sidewalk will be on the east side of Broadway from Morris Street to Park Row and on the west side of Broadway from Battery Place to Chambers Street.
How to watch if you can’t attend:
FOX 5 New York will be livestreaming the event starting at 10 a.m. Thursday.
What is a ticker tape parade?
Ticker-tape parades got their start honoring a different Liberty – Lady Liberty – in October 1886 during an impromptu celebration after the dedication of the Statue of Liberty.
At the time, ribbon paper for “ticker” machines – used to record telegraph stock quotes in the city’s financial district – was used as confetti. The ticker-tape was subsequently used for parades honoring returning World War II leaders and visiting heads of state.
Ticker-tape parades became so popular – there were 130 between 1945 and 1965 and three in one week in 1950 – that then-mayor John Lindsay had to limit the number of parades when he took office in 1966.
That’s not to say ticker-tape parades have become defunct in the years since.
The 1969 parade for the Mets winning the World Series renewed New Yorkers’ excitement in the parades, paving the way for present day jubilees like those for the Yankees in 2009, the New York Giants in 2012 and the women’s national soccer team in 2015 and 2019.
When was the last ticker-tape parade in New York City?
It depends on who you ask.
Though the last ticker-tape parade was 2021’s Hometown Heroes parade celebrating frontline workers who stepped up during the coronavirus pandemic, the last ticker-tape parade honoring a sports team took place in 2019 for the US women’s soccer team after their FIFA World Cup win.
The last ticker-tape parade in the Big Apple honoring a New York sports team was in 2012 when the New York Giants won the Super Bowl.
Thursday’s parade is the first ticker-tape parade ever for a New York women’s sports team.
The next ticker-tape parade could come as soon as a few weeks if the Yankees score a World Series win against the Los Angeles Dodgers.