Canyon of Heroes set to overflow for historic Knicks celebration: Here's what to know
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- Lower Manhattan is essentially shut down Thursday morning as last-minute preparations take form before what could be the largest parade in New York City history.
The Knicks, who ended a 53-year championship title drought, will be lauded by millions of fans through the Canyon of Heroes in Lower Manhattan.
Fans began lining up overnight, waiting for security screenings to begin at 6 a.m. The city advised revelers to arrive at least two hours before the start of the 10 a.m. parade, as they must enter through designated access points on a first-come, first-served. It was not immediately clear how many fans would get through the screening.
A deployment of 10,000 police officers started on 12-hour shifts at 3 a.m. this morning and descended on Lower Manhattan - closing all streets south of Canal Street and posting officers on every street corner. The mobilization of manpower was equivalent to one-third of the total uniformed force, far exceeding any recent major events, including New Year's Eve at Times Square.
Coverage starts at 9 a.m. on Channel 7, under the live tab on Disney+ and everywhere you watch the ABC 7 New York stream.
"We expect viewing areas to fill quickly," said NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. Attendance is projected to exceed the available space in Lower Manhattan and once designated viewing areas reach capacity, people will be redirected or turned away."
Although the Knicks won the championship twice in the 1970s, the city didn't host a parade for them either time. Then-Mayor John Lindsay had cut down on ticker-tape extravaganzas for financial and other reasons, and he instead honored the Knicks at a 1970 reception at the mayoral mansion and a jampacked 1973 ceremony outside City Hall.
This time, the city is going all out.
"There will be performances, there will be New Yorkers, there will be the team and there will be history," Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Monday.
ALSO READ | What to know about the Knicks ticker-tape parade in NYC: Live updates
The parade is set to start at 10 a.m. Thursday near Battery Park and head up Broadway on the skyscraper-flanked route dubbed the "Canyon of Heroes." The procession is to end at City Hall, where the players are to get another traditional tribute: keys to the city.
Knicks legends Walt "Clyde" Frazier - a member of the '70s champion teams - and Patrick Ewing are expected to participate in the parade, according to a person familiar with the plans, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the details before they were publicly announced. The person said Mike Breen, the Knicks' play-by-play announcer on MSG Network, was set to emcee the City Hall ceremony.
Alicia Keys, the singer who collaborated with Jay-Z on the New York-loving 2009 hit "Empire State of Mind," has been tapped to perform.
Street Closures to know
In preparation for the parade, the city also rolled out a comprehensive street closure plan to clear the way for the NBA Champions.
- Parking will not be allowed south of Canal. Cars will be towed if they are not removed.
- The video player is currently playing an ad. You can skip the ad in 5 sec with a mouse or keyboard
- Starting at 7 a.m. on Thursday, south of Canal Street will be shut down to vehicular traffic from the Hudson River to the East River.
- The FDR and West Side Highway will remain open.
- Traffic coming off the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan will only be able to go northbound on the FDR.
- Pedestrians will be able to use the walkway.
- Staten Island Ferry service will be increased and will run every 15 minutes.
- Also note that the Wall Street and City Hall subway stations will be closed starting at 4:30 a.m. until the celebrations end.
- Other subway stations in Lower Manhattan will have some entrances and exits closed, but trains will continue to stop.
AP Wire Services contributed to this report
----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
* Download our connected TV app
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
