Thousands of fans pack NYC streets for Knicks NBA championship parade
News 12 captures the sights and sounds of the parade and City Hall ceremony.
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The 2026 NBA champions New York Knicks finally received a historic ticker‑tape parade Thursday through the Canyon of Heroes after a 53‑year championship drought. The event, a first in franchise history, brought thousands to lower Manhattan.
The parade kicked off at 10 a.m. near Battery Park, traveled up Broadway and concluded at City Hall, where players were honored in a special ceremony and received keys to the city.
The Knicks clinched the championship Saturday night in San Antonio, triggering celebrations across the five boroughs.
News 12 brought viewers live coverage of the parade and ceremony.
1:20 p.m. Alicia Keys is on stage performing "New York State of Mind," with her son playing the piano.
She also performs her song "Empire State of Mind."
1:12 p.m. The NYC Department of Sanitation posted a video of them cleaning the streets after the parade.
1:07 p.m. The New York Knicks coaches and players are presented with the key to the City by Mayor Mamdani.
1:01 p.m. 2026 NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson takes the stage, thanking his fans and family. He says emotionally, “New York, we really did it, man.”
12:54 p.m. The Knicks are welcomed to City Hall by Mayor Mamdani, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, NYC Comptroller Mark Levine, and Council Speaker Julie Menin.
Menin announced that the new motto for New York City is, “Knicks in five!”
12:40 p.m. The 2026 NBA Championship team has come to the stage, with the Eastern Conference Championship Trophy, the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy and the NBA Cup in tow. Fans loudly welcome them to the podium.
Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter Avery Wilson sings the National Anthem.
12:31 p.m. The parade has ended and the ceremony at City Hall has begun. Governor Hochul, Mayor Mamdani and his wife, Rama have taken the stage.
12:20 p.m. News 12's Isabella Giardina found a celebration away from Lower Manhattan at P.S./M.S 031 in the Bronx, where elementary students and faculty will host their own parade this afternoon.
12:17 p.m. Many Knicks fans who attended the ticker-tape parade in Lower Manhattan began their day in Hoboken, including fans from Charlotte, Arizona, and local students who skipped school (or claimed they were off) because their teachers are also Knicks fans.
12:13 p.m. News 12's Lisa LaRocca captured Knicks fans packing the White Plains train station before dawn and heading to Manhattan to celebrate the team's NBA championship parade.
12:08 p.m. 'I didn't think I'd live to see it again': Seniors celebrate long-awaited Knicks win
While thousands of fans packed Manhattan for the Knicks championship parade, a group of Brooklyn seniors held a celebration of their own in Bushwick.
The Round Table Senior Center hosted a watch party and celebration for longtime Knicks fans, who were unable to attend the parade in person.
The room was filled with blue and orange as seniors cheered the team's historic championship victory.
Some of the seniors said they have been Knicks fans since they were kids, and lived through decades of the team’s highs and lows.
Several also remember the team's last championship in 1973, making this year's title a particularly emotional moment.
“I didn’t think I’d live to see it again,” said one senior.
12:00 p.m. Connecticut Knicks fans headed into NYC for parade Thursday morning
11:22 a.m. Gov. Kathy Hochul meets with Jalen Brunson and his father, former Knicks player and a current assistant coach Rick.
11:06 a.m. FDNY truck appears in parade
10:45 a.m. Floats pass by crowds of fans
10:30 a.m. Fans say they are not being let into viewing area between Church and Dey streets
10:13 a.m. Fans turned away from full viewing pen area between Park Place and Church Street
9:55 a.m. Mayor Zohran Mamdani posts sizzle reel in honor of the Knicks
9:21 a.m. Jeremy Sochan greets fans with trophy
9:15 a.m. Brooklyn Bridge closed in both directions
9:14 a.m. Police officers line up in Battery Park, Coach buses circle near start of parade
9 a.m. Hundreds of winners from the ticket lottery system gather outside City Hall, wait to be let in
8:27 a.m. MTA announces suspensions, service changes due to large crowds in the city. Click here to track.
8:20 a.m. MTA promotes live coverage of parade on social media
7:53 a.m. Fans gather along Battery Place and Washington Street near the start of the parade
7:45 a.m. Fans spotted on top of DSNY garbage truck
7:35 a.m. NYPD announces that all viewing pens are full
7:30 a.m. News 12 NJ's Tony Caputo talks to a young fan who is skipping school today and who says, "The teachers are Knicks fans, they are OK with it."
7:28 a.m. View from Battery Park, where floats will load up for the parade
7:27 a.m. Over 10,000 NYPD officers stationed in Lower Manhattan
Over 10,000 police officers will be stationed for parade security in Lower Manhattan.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tish says this is a historic moment for the city and police.
“The largest deployment for a planned event in NYPD history with more than 10,000 officers assigned to lower Manhattan,” she said.
7:20 Knicks fans flood Stamford train station heading into NYC for the parade.
7:15 a.m. NYC Sanitation prepares for post-parade cleanup
The New York City Department of Sanitation says over 700 crew members will be on duty to help clean up after the parade.
7:07 a.m. News 12's Lisa LaRocca find some fans enjoying a Brunson Breakfast Sandwich on the way down to the parade.
7:05 a.m. LIRR, Metro-North enforcing system-wide alcohol ban
The Long Island Railroad and all Metro-North trains are under an alcohol ban until 5 a.m. Friday.
6:49 a.m. Knicks fans pack lower Manhattan.
6:40 a.m. News 12 NJ's Tony Caputo meets a family from Arizona that came to the parade to "witness history."
6:29 a.m. CT Knicks fans are all geared up, boarding trains to NYC for the parade.
6:27 a.m. Massive line for security screening grows in New York City.
6:10 a.m. Knicks fans arrive at Chambers Street from the 1 train this morning.
Fans seen lining up at security access points.
6:00 a.m. A bus from the Melville Park & Ride carrying 60 Long Islanders just left for lower Manhattan. The charter was organized by Poohs Soul Food Truck.
5:22 a.m. Legoland New York in Goshen is marking the team’s title with what it’s calling the world’s tiniest championship parade.
5:16 a.m. News 12 New Jersey's Tony Caputo is live in Hoboken, where thousands are heading into Manhattan for a moment 53 years in the making.
5:12 a.m. News 12's Lisa LaRocca is at the train station in White Plains where Metro-North has added extra trains throughout the day and night on the Hudson, Harlem and New Haven lines to accommodate the crowds.
5:00 a.m. Crowds flood the streets of New York City hours ahead of the ticker-tape parade. Mayor Zohran Mamdani expects the event to be one of the largest in New York history.
4:45 a.m. Knicks fans are already catching trains to Manhattan. Fans were lining up on the platform at the Farmingdale station on Long Island before 4:30 a.m.
