Knicks parade to draw millions to Canyon of Heroes as security ramps up; ceremony lottery winners to be selected

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) — Millions of people are expected to pack the Canyon of Heroes on Thursday morning to celebrate the Knicks, who ended a 53-year title drought and inspired the city during their dominant run through the playoffs.

The NYPD is taking some measures similar to security seen on New Year’s Eve in Times Square. All attendees will be screened; no bags will be allowed and pens open at 6 a.m. It’s best to show up early before the slated 10 a.m. start.

Also on the list of prohibited items: Pets, strollers, backpacks, coolers and umbrellas.

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NYPD officials say there will be more than 10,000 members of the NYPD assigned to this parade, the largest number of officers ever assigned to any planned event.

The contingent will include heavy weapons teams, explosive detection K9s, transportation, transit, highway, aviation, drones and more, according to police. There will be assets seen and unseen, officials noted.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Tuesday that the city will give away 600 tickets 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. 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 ceremony.

It’s 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 says singer Alicia Keys will be performing live during the ceremony.

Street Closures to know

In preparation for the parade, the city also rolled out a comprehensive street closure plan to clear the way for the NBA Champions.

Starting at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, parking will not be allowed south of Canal. 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.

Staten Island Ferry service will be increased and will run every 15 minutes.

Also note that 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.

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