The New York Knicks are the 2026 NBA champions and will be honored with a ticker-tape parade through the famed Canyon of Heroes on Thursday.
CBS News New York will have complete live team coverage of the historic Knicks championship parade starting at 9:30 a.m. Thursday.
Knicks parade details
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the Knicks parade will begin at 10 a.m. and follow the traditional route up Broadway from Battery Park to City Hall, where the team will be presented a Key to the City during a special ceremony.
“It will be the first ticker-tape parade in Knicks history, where New Yorkers will be able to celebrate a moment that has feels like we’ve waited an entire lifetime for because when it comes to people my age and a little bit older, we have,” Mamdani said on Sunday. “There have been so many heartbreaks, so many near misses, so many years, every year where we’ve told ourselves it’s the year and for it to actually happen now, there’s nothing more we can ask for as New Yorkers.”
Map of Knicks parade route 2026
CBS News New York
The parade will take place in Lower Manhattan.
The iconic Canyon of Heroes runs along Broadway from Battery Park up to City Hall.
Getting to the parade
There’s sure to be plenty of security and barricades along the parade route in Lower Manhattan, so fans are encouraged to arrive early. Several roads in the area will be closed.
Mass transit will be the best way to get to the parade. Here are some options:
Take the 4 and 5 lines to the Bowling Green station, which drops you at the southern start of the parade route Take the 1 line to Rector Street or Cortlandt Street for mid-route access along Broadway Take the 2 and 3 lines to the Park Place station, which puts you near the City Hall ceremony Take the R and W lines to Whitehall Street or Cortlandt Street as alternate entry pointsTake the A, C, E line to Fulton Street for central access to the route What’s restricted/security measures at the parade
Based on security used during the NBA Finals watch parties at various locations in the city and other parades up the Canyon of Heroes, the following items are likely restricted:
Large bags and backpacksOutside alcoholUmbrellasFolding chairs and other large items
More details are expected to be released by the NYPD and city officials in the near future.
Ticker-tape parades a historic NYC tradition
The term “ticker-tape” refers to one-inch wide paper ribbon that’s typically used to receive stock quotes via telegraph. During parades, the ribbons are flung out of windows along the route, creating a winding, dramatic effect. Combined with confetti and other scraps of paper, it all adds up to a magical spectacle.
The very first ticker-tape parade took place in 1886 to mark the Statue of Liberty’s dedication. Since then, there have been 209 official ticker-tape parades. The most recent took place in 2024 to celebrate the New York Liberty’s WNBA championship.
Other notable ticker-tape parades include:
June 13, 1927 for Charles Lindbergh for his first nonstop transatlantic solo flightJuly 6, 1928 for Amelia Earhart, the first woman to complete a transatlantic flight. Earhart would be honored with another ticker-tape parade in 1932 to mark her first solo transatlantic flightSept. 3, 1936 for Jesse Owens and other members of the U.S. Olympic teamMarch 15, 1946 for Winston ChurchillApril 20, 1951 for Gen. Douglas MacArthurOct. 21, 1957 for Queen Elizabeth IIAug. 13, 1969 for the Apollo 11 crew after returning from the moonOct. 21, 1969 for the World Series champion New York MetsOct. 19, 1977 for the World Series champion New York YankeesOct. 18, 1978 for the World Series champion New York YankeesOct. 3, 1979 for Pope John Paul IIOct. 28, 1986 for the World Series champion New York MetsJune 17, 1994 for the Stanley Cup champion New York RangersOct. 29, 1996 for the World Series champion New York YankeesOct. 23, 1998 for the World Series champion New York YankeesOct. 29, 1999 for the World Series champion New York YankeesOct. 30, 2000 for the World Series champion New York YankeesFeb. 5, 2008 for the Super Bowl XLII champion New York GiantsNov. 6, 2009 for the World Series champion New York YankeesFeb. 7, 2012 for Super Bowl XLVI champion New York GiantsJuly 10, 2015 for the World Cup champion U.S. Women’s National TeamJuly 10, 2019 for the World Cup champion U.S. Women’s National TeamJuly 7, 2021 for essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemicOct. 24, 2024 for the WNBA champion New York Liberty
For a complete list of prior ticker-tape parades, click here.
Recap of the Knicks’ historic win
The Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals in five games to capture the third NBA title in franchise history and first since 1973.
Jalen Brunson was named series MVP after scoring 45 of the Knicks’ 94 points in the series-clinching Game 5 in San Antonio.
The Knicks entered the Finals on an 11-game winning streak, which grew to 13 when New York took the first two games on the road, 105-95 and 105-104.
The Spurs’ lone win came in Game 3 at Madison Square Garden, 115-111, the first time the World’s Most Famous Arena hosted a Finals game since 1999.
Game 4 featured the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history, as the Knicks erased a 29-point deficit and beat the Spurs 107-106 at the Garden. OG Anunoby’s tip-in with 1.2 seconds left in the game completed the second-half rally after Brunson’s 3-point attempt hit the front of the rim.