More than 1M Patriots fans celebrate team's 6th Super Bowl win
The New England Patriots and more than 1 million fans celebrated the team's sixth NFL title Tuesday in a celebratory parade down the streets of Boston on an unusually warm February day. Days earlier they defeated the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 in Super Bowl LIII.
CBS Boston said there were people as far as the eye could see along the 2-mile parade route of Duck Boats, which kicked off at Boylston Street and rolled past massive crowds on the sidewalks all the way to City Hall Plaza. An estimated 1.5 million people attended the rally, officials said.
Temperatures were in the mid-60's, CBS Boston reports. There were so many Patriots fans, they overwhelmed the city's buses, subways and commuter rail lines. Keolis, which operates the commuter rail, said it was their "highest ridership ever."
Several Pats players — including center David Andrews and tight end Rob Gronkowski — took advantage of weather and removed their shirts for the crowd.
Boston Public Schools says the number of absences Tuesday was about 2,000 more than a typical day, CBS Boston points out. No major incidents or injuries were reported. Boston EMS said it took nine people to hospitals for what they called "event-related" incidents.
Patriots parade route through Boston
The festivities kicked off from the Hynes Convention Center. The parade through the city of Boston will travel down Boylston Street, Tremont Street and ending on Cambridge Street. Pats players had urged a horde of fans to join the team.
The parade route through the city of Boston runs down Boylston Street at Hereford Street, then left onto Tremont Street to Cambridge Street, where it will end at City Hall. There will not be a rally in City Hall Plaza.
The decision for not holding a rally was made "for a number of reasons," said Boston Marty Walsh at a press conference Monday. "But one is really about making sure that our public safety officials aren't overworked in the sense of what happened this weekend. And also, just logistically, a lot of the players head back home after the rally."
Boston weather forecast for the parade
Unlike the snowy, cold parade two years ago, Tuesday was forecast to be a beautiful day for a championship parade, CBS Boston reports. The Patriots are expected to roll down the street in eye-catching duck boats.
CBS Boston said crews were busy building platforms Monday, doing safety checks and polishing the duck boats to get ready for the rally.
"We've got it down to a science. They know what to do," said Bob Lawler, general manager of Boston Duck Tours.
There is still confetti stuck to the floorboards of the duck boats from the Red Sox World Series Parade in October. Just three months later, it's time for another celebration.
Patriots players called on all fans to show up
Super Bowl LIII MVP Julian Edelman, moments after Sunday's big win in Atlanta, told reporters he expects at least 2 million people to show up Tuesday for the parade.
Pats safety Devin McCourty echoed Edelman's call for a huge showing in Boston.
"Hopefully the weather works out. Skip work. Everybody's off in Massachusetts. We're gonna party," said McCourty. It looks like his wish will come true.
