Valkyries victory celebration: San Francisco parade to draw crowds downtown
Valkyries WNBA Championship Parade on Embarcadero Nov. 4
The Golden State Valkyries WNBA Championship Parade is set to roll down the Embarcadero to King Street at noon on Wednesday, November 4. KTVU will be broadcasting the festivities starting at 10 AM (PST) on air and live-streaming.
The Valkyries parade
What you should know:
SAN FRANCISCO - The Golden State Valkyries WNBA championship parade is set to start at the Ferry Building on Wednesday at noon and then roll down the Embarcadero to King Street near Oracle Park.
A large crowd is expected to line the route wearing Valkyries Violet to celebrate the basketball team's historic win Saturday night in what was called Ballhallaween or BooHalla by fans who watched the Game Seven finals against the Atlanta Dream on Halloween night at Chase Center, known fondly as "Ballhalla" in honor of the mythical Valhalla hall for warriors returning from battle.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie announced the parade just after the Valkyries won the WNBA Championship.
Valkyries Players Reaction to Parade
What they're saying:
The players on Monday said they're excited to celebrate with fans.
"I want it to be Halloween again...come in costumes. I just want it to be a big party. I want to feel the same energy we have at Ballhalla," Kiah Stokes, Valkyries WNBA Champion, said.
"I'm excited for my teammates to see what I grew up around and experience on a big level," Gabby Williams, Valkyries WNBA MVP, said.
The Valkyries, wanting to include the whole Bay Area, plan to depart from Oakland, where they practice.
They'll ferry over to San Francisco for the big parade. Williams has been designated to beat the drum that is used at every game while the crowd chants G-S-V.
Street closures, Muni detours, geofencing
Plan ahead:
SFMTA's director says there is an SFMTA Valkyries website with details on street closures, public transportation detours, and transit options.
"The street closures will begin shortly after midnight Wednesday morning, so that's how we're going to get prepared. I think we're looking towards, for example, really trying to accommodate the morning commute, but we're still putting the finishing touches on it. We're hoping to open the roads before the evening commute on Wednesday," Viktoriya Wise, Director of Streets at SFMTA, said.
BART and SF Police Preparations
Increased presence:
BART is also increasing service and positioning Ambassadors in strategic places in San Francisco to help fans get to and from the parade.
"We'll be expanding out capacity for the parade. That includes staging special event trains . . . and we will also extend the length of our trains," BART Spokesman Chris Filippi, said.
San Francisco police say they'll also have extra staffing to help make sure the crowds are safe.
"We will have extra officers in and around the area. We are going to be using our specialized units...we want to make it as safe as possible," Ofc. Robert Rueca, an SFPD Spokesman, said.
SFMTA confirms they requested geofencing to stop all driverless vehicles from entering the parade zone.
Fans are encouraged to arrive early, and the SFMTA aims to have the streets reopened in time for the afternoon commute.
The Source: Information for this article came from the Golden State Valkyries, SFMTA, San Francisco Police Department, BART and San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie.