New York City had a different feel on Thursday morning.
The Knicks’ NBA Championship parade gave the city a reason to pause, with celebrations starting around 10:30 a.m. ET before heading towards City Hall.
Big crowds were always expected. After 53 years without a title, Knicks fans were desperate to celebrate, and the team’s first championship since 1973 turned Lower Manhattan into the city’s main attraction.
But even with all that anticipation, the numbers still seemed to catch people off guard. Well before the parade got going, some fans were already being told they could not get in.
Knicks supporters turned away as viewing areas fill up
Thousands of supporters were turned away after the official viewing areas reached capacity.
According to CNN, the NYPD said viewing pens opened at 6 a.m. and were full in under two hours, with no more fans allowed inside after that. Anyone who left a pen was not allowed back in.
Footage posted online showed crowds chanting “let us in” as they tried to get closer to the parade. The scenes highlighted both the scale of the turnout and the frustration of fans who arrived expecting to join the celebration.
That left many fans watching from outside the pens or turning around completely. For a fanbase that waited more than half a century, even arriving early was not enough.
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