The Knicks are getting a parade! After winning their first championship in 53 years, it’s time to celebrate the thrilling Finals victory with what every team wishes to experience: a citywide parade. As every New Yorker knows, parades are not just for championships!
We want to highlight the history of parades and discuss the logistics that go into every parade. Unsurprisingly, there are many reasons we have parades in New York. Enjoy taking a trip down memory lane for the events that New York was celebrating with parades.
History of Parades
Parades in New York have a history dating back to before America was established. In March 1762, Irish military members in the British Army who were stationed in the colonies were feeling homesick. Wearing green was banned in Ireland at the time, so to try and bring some hometown spirits, local Irish participants did what they could to celebrate their home country. To celebrate, the locals spoke in their native Irish tongue, wore green, and reveled in the music, singing and playing tunes that reminded them of Ireland.
The first parade seen as a triumph was for the Marquis de Lafayette. Lafayette first arrived in Staten Island and stayed in America on a year-long tour of the country. In July 1825, he returned to New York, where an estimated between 15,000 and 40,000 people came to celebrate the French Military Officer. This celebration was seen as a parade, but many of the events that took place did not stand the test of time and have since become traditions. For example, Lafayette cut the anchor ties to a hot air balloon. Eugene Robinson, the aeronaut, piloted the hot-air balloon The American Star. To add to the madness, Robinson dropped American and French flags from the balloon.
First Ticker-Tape Parade
Parades have transformed over the years since then. Now they hold the name of “Ticker-tape parades.” The name derives from stock ticker paper tape being thrown in celebration (now confetti is used instead).
In dedication to the Statue of Liberty, the Governor of New York (and first President of the United States to serve nonconsecutive terms) presided over the celebration on October 28th, 1886. This celebration was attended by the French and Americans to see the gift between the countries.
After this first Ticker-Tape parade, the tradition was born. City officials saw this as an opportunity to raise morale and celebrate triumphs.
Notable Events
Since the ticker-tape parade became a tradition, many historical events have occurred. Here are a few!
19th Century
- April 29, 1889 – 100th anniversary of George Washington’s inauguration as first president of the United States.
1910s
- June 18, 1910 – Theodore Roosevelt returned from his African expedition, which yielded many new specimens now held at the National Museum of Natural History.
1920s
- October 21, 1925 – Captain Paul C. Grening and the crew of the SS President Harding for heroic sea rescue.
- June 13, 1927 – Charles Lindbergh celebration after solo transatlantic flight.
1930s
- September 2, 1931 – Olin Stephens Jr. and the crew of Dorade, winners of a transatlantic yacht race from Newport, R.I., to Plymouth, England.
- June 2, 1932 – Amelia Earhart celebrated following a transatlantic flight. Last parade for her before disappearing over the Pacific Ocean.
- July 26, 1933 – Wiley Post was celebrated as the first person to fly solo around the world.
- September 3, 1936 – Jesse Owens, after the controversial 1936 Summer Olympics, won four gold medals.
- July 15, 1938 – Howard Hughes achieves what Wiley Post did, but faster.
1940s
- January 12, 1946 – New York City Victory Parade of 1946 was a celebration of the end of World War 2.
1950s
- September 27, 1954 – New York Giants win the National League pennant. First New York sports-specific team to get a parade.
1960s
- April 9, 1962 – New York Yankees celebrate winning the World Series.
- August 13, 1969 – Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins, following the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon.
1980s
- October 28th, 1986 – New York Mets celebrate winning the World Series.
1990s
- June 20, 1990 – Nelson Mandela, after 28 years in prison, was celebrated in New York during his Freedom Tour.
- June 17, 1994 – New York Rangers celebrate winning the Stanley Cup.
2000s
- February 5, 2008 – New York Giants celebrate winning Super Bowl.
2010s
- July 10, 2015 – US National Women’s Soccer Team celebrates winning the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. They would go on to celebrate again on the same day in 2019 for winning the World Cup again.
2020s
- July 7, 2021 – Healthcare Professionals for their labor during the pandemic.
- October 24, 2024 – The New York Liberty celebrate winning the WNBA Championship.
- November 24, 2025 – Gotham FC celebrates winning the 2025 NWSL Championship.
- June 18, 2026 – The New York Knicks will celebrate their NBA Championship.
Ticker-tape parades have been less frequent since the 1960s. Since then, ticker-tape parades are generally for sporting events and astronauts returning from space.
Modern Parades
The parade route has the name “The Canyon of Heroes.” Every 20-25 feet, there are black granite plaques on both sides of the street. You can find these at the beginning of Broadway, from Battery Place to Chambers Street, next to City Hall. The name “Canyon of Heroes” has the name for two reasons. The Canyon because the route takes you through skyscrapers and tall office buildings, which feel like the bottom of a canyon. The Heroes refer to the people celebrated in each parade.
New York City is also the center for other kinds of parades. In the same vein as the first Irish parade, other countries, cultures, and communities have parades to showcase their pride. These parades have a rich history of celebrating underserved communities. They have taken a life of their own and become attractions that many look forward to every year. This June, look out for the Juneteenth Parade (taking place June 19th and starting at Gotham Health Center and ending in Gershwin Park) and for NYC Pride (taking place June 28th and the March begins at 26th Street and 5th Avenue in Manhattan, passes the historic Stonewall Inn, and disperses near 15th Street and 7th Avenue).
There have been 206 ticker-tape parades in New York City, with the 2026 Knicks parade set to be the largest in NYC history. Get there early, get there quickly, and get there safely. See if there is an apartment that is next to the parade routes!
