Knicks-themed 34th – After the Knicks’ historic Finals win, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the viral blue-and-orange 34th Street subway entrance outside Madison Square Garden will stay in place through the end of the 2026-2027 NBA season—extending the celebration ahead of th
When the doors open at Madison Square Garden. the welcome will look the same as it does in the photos—blue and orange. right off the 34th Street subway entrance. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the viral themed renovation will be preserved as-is through the end of the 2026-2027 NBA season. “to keep the celebration going” after the Knicks’ historic Finals win.
The station—Madison Square Garden station—was repainted in the Knicks’ iconic blue and orange scheme on June 1. honoring the New York team’s first Finals appearance since 1999. From the start, fans treated the entrance like a must-see stop. They flocked to the station for what they described as a perfect photo op. with many saying the remodel should be permanent.
Hochul’s Wednesday announcement echoed that push. She declared the decorations will remain through the end of the 2026-2027 NBA season, the same season when the Knicks are expected to defend their coveted title.
“As we prepare to immortalize this Knicks team in the Canyon of Heroes tomorrow. it is fitting that we preserve this iconic subway entrance into next season to keep the celebrations going. The subway and the Knicks are two of New York’s most cherished institutions and now fans headed to the Garden to see the reigning champions will receive an orange and blue welcome to every game. ” Hochul said.
Spike Lee stood beside Hochul for the declaration. The Oscar-winning director and Knicks megafan was decked out in Knicks gear as he flanked the governor during the announcement.
“Nothing but orange and blue skies all around us,” Lee said.
“New York City will be Fun City again,” he added.
The subway entrance sits just outside Madison Square Garden, the kind of location that turns daily transit into a ritual. That proximity is exactly why the change spread so fast—people weren’t just commuting through it; they were stopping for the shot.
Janno Lieber, the MTA Chair and CEO, also framed the move as a way to carry forward momentum. He teased that preserving the themed entrance will boost the “mojo” that led the Knicks to victory.
The celebration isn’t stopping at the station, either. The MTA will run a specially designated “K train” for the Knicks’ ticker-tape parade on Thursday.
Hochul said the preservation is meant to “keep the celebration going,” and the parade plan puts that idea on rails. The “K train” will start operations at 7 a.m., with stops stretching from 168th Street to the World Trade Center.
Thursday’s ticker-tape parade will process down the Canyon of Heroes—and it’s projected to be the city’s largest parade ever. Festivities officially kick off in downtown Manhattan at 10 a.m., but access points are set to open at least four hours earlier.
The sequence is clear: a June 1 repaint outside Madison Square Garden becomes a citywide photo moment. the governor hears the public’s desire for it to last. and the MTA prepares transportation for the parade that follows. By keeping the entrance through the end of the 2026-2027 season. the Knicks’ run isn’t treated like a one-week headline—it’s extended into the next chapter.
Knicks MTA Madison Square Garden station 34th Street subway entrance Kathy Hochul Spike Lee ticker-tape parade K train Canyon of Heroes 2026-27 NBA season
So they’re just… keeping the paint? lol
Honestly I’m not even a Knicks fan but I love that blue/orange entrance. Wish MTA would fix the real problems too though.
Wait when you say through 2026-27, does that mean like the station is gonna be orange forever? Or is it gonna get repainted after the Finals? Seems like a waste if they’re gonna change it.
Spike Lee was there?? Of course. I knew it was gonna turn into a whole celebrity thing. Meanwhile the subway still smells like piss half the time… but sure keep the photoshoot entrance for next season.