Chaos has broken out on the streets of Manhattan as millions of New York Knicks fans prepare to celebrate their NBA champions in a parade on Thursday morning.
Thousands of fans slept rough on the streets overnight to get the best viewing spots, while millions more are descending on the city to get a glimpse of their heroes.
The NYPD announced that, by 7:30am, all viewing pens were full and there was no more space. But footage circulating on social media showed fans running through a police barrier before sprinting towards the parade route.
Disaster also struck early when fans who had gathered by one of the entrances listed on Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s website were told it was a ‘misunderstanding’ and it would not be opened.
‘Open the f***king gate. The gate is supposed to open at six,’ one man was heard shouting.
The Knicks’ dazzling playoff run, which ended with a 4-1 win over the dominant Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals, has electrified the city in recent weeks.
Millions of Knicks fans are preparing to celebrate their NBA champions in Thursday’s parade
Crowds went back as far as the eye could see in downtown Manhattan ahead of the parade
Video footage showed some fans rushing through a police barrier before sprinting to the route
Subway stations were full of Knicks fans rushing to get a spot along the downtown route
The NYPD has deployed more than 10,000 police officers to control crowds and safety issues
Mamdani has predicted that Thursday’s celebration, due to start at 10am ET, might be ‘the largest parade in New York City history’ as fans celebrate the team’s first title since 1973.
‘There will be performances, there will be New Yorkers, there will be the team and there will be history,’ the mayor said Monday.
The event will start near Battery Park and travel up Broadway through the city’s ‘Canyon of Heroes’ before concluding at City Hall, where Mamdani plans to give the players the keys to the city.
Police plan to deploy 10,000 officers to secure the event, which follows jubilant but sometimes chaotic street celebrations that were marred by violence during the Knicks’ series with the Spurs.
‘We want people to enjoy this moment,’ police commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a planning meeting Wednesday, ‘but public safety comes first.’
An NYPD spokesperson said they will deploy helicopters, drones, heavy weapons teams, K-9s and explosive detection dogs, highway units, transit officers and a plainclothes operation.
More than 50 floats and other vehicles are expected to participate and some 650 sanitation workers have been assigned to clean up what could be tens of thousands of pounds of debris, if recent history is any guide.
Knicks legends Walt ‘Clyde’ Frazier – a member of the ´70s champion teams – and Patrick Ewing are expected to be in the parade. Mike Breen, the Knicks’ play-by-play announcer on MSG Network, was set to emcee the City Hall ceremony.
The Knicks secured their first NBA title since 1973 with a 4-1 win over the San Antonio Spurs
Knicks fans slept rough overnight and got up early to secure their spot along the route
Alicia Keys, the singer who joined with Jay-Z on the indelible 2009 ‘Empire State of Mind,’ has been tapped to perform.
‘How could I not?’ Keys said Wednesday in a social media post that featured her chatting with Knicks forward OG Anunoby.
Thursday’s ticker-tape parade will be a first for the Knicks. When the team won the title before, in 1970 and 1973, they weren’t honored with New York’s signature procession.
The festivities on Thursday will be the 210th ticker-tape parade in New York, and it comes after a ticker-tape bash for the WNBA’s New York Liberty in 2024.
