Knicks parade up Canyon of Heroes set to celebrate 2026 NBA championship. Here's what to know.

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."

It's the first time a Knicks championship will be celebrated with a ticker-tape parade through the Canyon of Heroes. Their prior championship wins in 1970 and 1973 did not have an accompanying ticker-tape parade. 

Map of Knicks parade route 2026

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 points
• Take 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 backpacks
• Outside alcohol
• Umbrellas
• Folding chairs and other large items

More details are expected to be released by the NYPD and city officials in the near future. 

Weather for the Knicks ticker-tape parade Thursday

Thursday will be a First Alert Weather Day due to the possibility of severe storms, damaging winds and localized flooding. 

As of Tuesday morning, the forecast for Thursday was indicating some rain expected in our area Thursday morning. Those showers don't encompass the entire area and will move through, bringing with them on and off stormy conditions. The First Alert Weather Team says there's a roughly 30% chance of rain around the time of the parade. 

In addition with the rain possibilities, the humidity will be a factor Thursday, as will climbing temperatures, which are expected to be in the mid-80s. There will be a tropical feel to the day. 

Click here for the latest weather watches, warnings and alerts. 

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 210 official ticker-tape parades. The most recent took place in 2025 to celebrate Gotham FC's NWSL championship. 

"There have been well over 200. I think some of the ones that stand out to me - the parade for Nelson Mandela, right after he was released from prison. Of course, when the Apollo 11 astronauts came home, that was a big one," Jessica Lappin of The Downtown Alliance said. "In most recent history, it's been for sports teams." 

Other notable ticker-tape parades include: 

• June 13, 1927 for Charles Lindbergh for his first nonstop transatlantic solo flight
• July 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 flight
• Sept. 3, 1936 for Jesse Owens and other members of the U.S. Olympic team
• March 15, 1946 for Winston Churchill
• April 20, 1951 for Gen. Douglas MacArthur
• Oct. 21, 1957 for Queen Elizabeth II
• Aug. 13, 1969 for the Apollo 11 crew after returning from the moon
• Oct. 21, 1969 for the World Series champion New York Mets
• Oct. 19, 1977 for the World Series champion New York Yankees
• Oct. 18, 1978 for the World Series champion New York Yankees
• Oct. 3, 1979 for Pope John Paul II
• Oct. 28, 1986 for the World Series champion New York Mets
• June 20, 1990 for Nelson Mandela
• June 17, 1994 for the Stanley Cup champion New York Rangers
• Oct. 29, 1996 for the World Series champion New York Yankees
• Oct. 23, 1998 for the World Series champion New York Yankees
• Oct. 29, 1999 for the World Series champion New York Yankees
• Oct. 30, 2000 for the World Series champion New York Yankees
• Feb. 5, 2008 for the Super Bowl XLII champion New York Giants
• Nov. 6, 2009 for the World Series champion New York Yankees
• Feb. 7, 2012 for Super Bowl XLVI champion New York Giants
• July 10, 2015 for the World Cup champion U.S. Women's National Team
• July 10, 2019 for the World Cup champion U.S. Women's National Team
• July 7, 2021 for essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Oct. 24, 2024 for the WNBA champion New York Liberty
• Nov. 3, 2025 for Gotham FC NWSL championship

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.