Ahead of Thursday’s Knicks victory celebration along the Canyon of Heroes, New York City is deploying NYPD resources seen around New Year’s Eve in Times Square—screening all attendees and banning bags, strollers, umbrellas and more. The city is also shutting d
On Thursday morning. the Canyon of Heroes is expected to fill fast—millions moving toward a moment New York hasn’t shared in 53 years. But the celebration will look different at the curb and at the entrance gates: the Knicks’ victory parade is coming with unprecedented security. strict entry screening. and sweeping street closures.
The NYPD says its preparations will mirror security measures seen on New Year’s Eve in Times Square. All attendees will be screened. No bags will be allowed, and pens will open at 6 a.m., with the advice to arrive early ahead of the 10 a.m. start.
The list of prohibited items also includes pets, strollers, backpacks, coolers and umbrellas.
NYPD officials are assigning more than 10. 000 members of the department to the parade—described as the largest number of officers ever assigned to any planned event. The deployment will include heavy weapons teams. explosive detection K9s. transportation and transit units. highway and aviation teams. drones. and other resources. Officials said there will be both visible and unseen assets.
After the parade, attention moves to City Hall. Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Tuesday that 600 tickets will be given away for the City Hall ceremony honoring the team after the parade. A city official said more than 347. 000 New Yorkers applied for the public lottery. and a total of 300 people will get two tickets each.
Those attending the ceremony will also be screened. The team will receive the ceremonial Key to the City during the event. It is the first key designed without the city seal and features an apple instead. Up until this point, the keys have been replicas of the 1812 key made for a door to City Hall.
Knicks and Rangers owner James Dolan said singer Alicia Keys will be performing live during the ceremony.
Traffic plans are already changing the rhythm of downtown and lower Manhattan. Starting at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, parking will not be allowed south of Canal, and cars will be towed if they are not removed. Starting at 7 a.m. on Thursday. south of Canal Street will be shut down to vehicular traffic from the Hudson River to the East River.
The FDR and West Side Highway will remain open. Traffic coming off the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan will only be able to go northbound on the FDR. Pedestrians will be able to use the walkway.
The city is also shifting ferry service to handle the surge of visitors: Staten Island Ferry service will be increased and will run every 15 minutes.
For subway riders, the changes begin early. The Wall Street and City Hall subway stations will be closed starting at 4:30 a.m. until the celebrations end. Other subway stations in Lower Manhattan will have some entrances and exits closed, but trains will continue to stop.
Knicks parade Canyon of Heroes NYPD security street closures New York City City Hall ceremony Key to the City Alicia Keys