This article has been updated with new information.
There’s no question Philadelphia will celebrate the Eagles’ first Super Bowl win in franchise history with a victory parade unlike anything the city has seen. Some have suggested crowds will swell to 2 million people.
The huge event will take place Thursday, Feb. 8. Things begin at 11 a.m. down at Broad and Pattison in South Philly. The procession will then make its way north around City Hall and onto the Ben Franklin Parkway. Final celebrations will take place at the foot of the Art Museum steps at Eakins Oval.
What will happen during the final ceremony, which is slated to kick off around 1 p.m., is being kept under wraps. “It will be dramatic,” was the only hint dropped.
Route and travel
As the motorized procession leaves the Linc, it will travel up Broad Street, then loop around City Hall. The entire route will be barricaded to help with crowd control, per Police Commissioner Richard Ross. Along the way, there will be 14 jumbotrons with sound, and spectators can expect “a few surprises,” organizers said.
- Both the Broad Street Line and Market-Frankford Line will be free all day, thanks to a sponsorship from Independence Blue Cross
- Some subway and El stations will be closed for the entire day, including 15th Street and City Hall Stations (see maps here)
- Trolleys will also skip 15th Street Station
- Some bus lines will have detours to avoid the parade route
- Regional Rail service will also be on a special parade schedule. No cash will be accepted — riders will need to use monthly or weekly passes, or try to snag a special $10 one-day “Independence Pass,” which have now sold out. Some lines have service severely curtailed in one direction to allow for increased capacity streaming toward the parade. Full info available here.
PATCO will run on a heavily modified schedule. For much of the morning, all eastbound service — aka from Philly to Jersey — will be suspended. The opposite holds true for the afternoon and evening. (So basically, reverse commuters who plan on going to work Thursday need to find a different mode of travel.) As of 5 p.m. Wednesday, all Thursday PATCO tickets are sold out.
For drivers, street closures in the area begin at 5 a.m. Thursday morning and continue through 9 p.m., in some places. The affected roadways (find the list here) are similar to most events on the Parkway, something area residents and workers are used to contending with.
Parking will be restricted along the route as well. Starting at 6 p.m. Wednesday and continuing through 6 p.m. Thursday. If you leave your car where there’s a temporary “No Parking” sign, it will get towed. Or, as the city puts it, “relocated.”
Schools and services
The Art Museum will be closed to accommodate the festivities, as will the Barnes Foundation.
The School District of Philadelphia announced that all schools and administrative offices will be closed Thursday in deference to the parade.
Many college students will also get the day off. Temple, Drexel, Penn and UArts have all announced classes will be canceled on parade day.
Municipal offices are closed, City Council cancelled its standing Thursday public meeting, and First Judicial District and Philadelphia courts and court offices are closed (no jury duty!). There’s no trash or recycling pickup on parade day, either. After Thursday, the Streets Department will be on a holiday schedule (aka one day delayed).
Food and drink
There will be some beer; free Bud Lights will be handed out to every 21 and older fan who wants one, per Anheuser-Busch’s promise to Lane Johnson. The brewing giant has said reps will be giving out beer at “multiple taverns” along the route.
However, Mayor Kenney warned against toting your own, because it’ll probably get taken away.
For sustenance during the event, 40 food trucks will be allowed to set up on or near the Parkway. There may also be a Steak-Umm social media manager in a T-rex costume.
Many bars and restaurants are running parade day specials, including:
- Shake Shack: Free cups of Swoop’s Scoop custard, the Eagles-tribute flavor made with green cream and chunks of Termini Bros’ chocolate cake swirled in
- Red Owl Tavern: $1 smoked chicken wings; $9 “In Foles We Trust” Eagle Rare bourbon cocktails
- Prohibition Taproom: $5 Citywides, $4 Yards PPA pints, $4 cans of Sterling Pig IPA; a dozen wings for $9
- The Twisted Tail: $5 Double Eagle bourbon cocktails
- Osteria: “Philly Special” on pizza — $10 each
- Keen: House-baked green soft pretzels with long hot sauce for $7
- Walnut Street Cafe: From 7 to 11 a.m., $5 Citywides, mimosas and Eagle-ritas, free drip coffee with any pastry purchase
How to watch
If you’re not braving the trip to catch the festivities in person, they’ll be broadcast on NBC10 and NBC Sports Philadelphia (previously Comcast SportsNet). Live coverage starts at 10:30 a.m., and then the parade will be replayed for 24 hours straight on NBC Sports Philadelphia+.
There will also be a live stream on NBCsports.com here, starting at 10:30 a.m. Thursday.
Why not Wednesday?
Even before the official announcement, word had begun trickling out from inside City Hall, regarding both path and timing.
The early word from Billy Penn’s sources was spot on: that the parade would start down in South Philly by the stadium complex, where the Birds play at Lincoln Financial Field, and then make its way to the Parkway.
Wednesday, Feb. 7, originally was the target date. It’s what some Eagles blogs reported last week, and what an Eagles official told Inquirer sports reporter Mike Sielski Sunday night.
But there’s the weather to contend with.
Wednesday’s forecast called for either pouring rain or snow, to the tune of 1 to 3 inches. Not great for celebrating. Mayor Kenney first hinted at an alternate date when making an appearance on Sportsradio 94WIP’s morning show on Monday.
Later on Monday, the city sent out a release around 12:30 p.m. officially stating the parade will take place on Thursday.
