New York City is preparing for a historic ticker tape parade to celebrate the NBA champion New York Knicks. The celebration, the team's first ticker tape parade in decades, is set to begin at 10 a.m. and march up the Canyon of Heroes from Battery Park to City Hall. Anticipation has been building across the city for the parade of champions.
Officials say massive crowds are expected, with the city anticipating millions of fans along the route. They have warned that the turnout means long lines and that not everyone will be able to get in, describing it as the largest parade the city has ever held. Fans dressed in orange and blue began gathering in lower Manhattan well before dawn.
For the celebration, the NYPD is deploying about 10,000 uniformed officers, nearly one-third of the entire department. Officials say it will be the largest deployment for a planned event in city history. According to police, there will be both visible security and measures that the public simply will not see.
Spectators who want to line up along the route will be screened at planned checkpoints before being allowed in, and a list of prohibited items has been set. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the aim is a safe and memorable celebration for Knicks fans and for the city, but stressed that public safety comes first and that the department is planning accordingly.
The parade is also bringing major changes to transit. Riders on the 4 and 5 trains will not be able to get off at the Wall Street station, and R and W riders cannot exit at City Hall, with both closed until 5 p.m. for security reasons. The Staten Island Ferry is adding extra service in the morning and afternoon to help fans reach the route and get home afterward.
Lower Manhattan has effectively been shut down, with officers directing traffic and a frozen zone established for the event. No-parking rules are in effect everywhere below Canal Street, while alternate-side parking and meter rules are suspended citywide. Police activity at the Holland Tunnel added to an already slow morning commute into the city.
The parade is set to finish with a special ceremony at City Hall, where the Knicks are expected to receive the keys to the city. The team, which captured the title by beating the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals, has also been invited to the White House. For many fans, it is a celebration decades in the making.