Nuggets fans prepare for Thursday's NBA Finals victory parade through downtown Denver
With a historic victory sealed, it is time for the Denver Nuggets to celebrate with Nuggets Nation. A victory parade is set for this Thursday downtown.
"We're expecting hundreds of thousands of Nuggets faithful to come down on Thursday to come to celebrate," said Chelsea Warren, one of the parade planners with the City and County of Denver.
While the Nuggets' big win was 47 years in the making, Denver has become a city of champions in recent years. That made for a bit of easier parade planning, Warren explained.
"We are lucky here that we've won multiple championships across multiple teams," she told CBS News Colorado's Kelly Werthmann, "so we kind of have a road map on how we want to do this."
The Nuggets' victory parade will be like that of the Broncos Super Bowl 50 celebration in 2016 and the Avalanche Stanley Cup parade last year. It will begin at Union Station and end at Civic Center Park.
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock will once again be part of the celebration – his third victory parade since taking office.
"Back-to-back celebrations in Denver!" he said. "I think it's going to be electric."
Much like before, Hancock said the massive turnout of fans is what he's looking forward to most and seeing how the team reacts.
"These are young basketball players. They're going to hit that stage and be overwhelmed by what they're seeing in terms of the love that this city & state are about to wrap them with, and be blown away," he said. "I remember Demaryius Thomas being blown away seeing a million people out there for them, and I expect that these Denver Nuggets will feel the same way."
From a sea of Broncos blue and orange to a blanket of burgundy for the Avalanche, now Denver will be covered in blue and gold when Nuggets fans pack downtown to mark this exciting moment in sports history.
"The Nuggets are a big deal. The Nuggets winning is a big deal," said Warren. "You can feel the enthusiasm."
Warren explained that safety is a top priority for Thursday's parade and rally, adding extra security personnel will be on hand. Some roads are expected to start closing Wednesday night and as late as 8:45 a.m. on Thursday. Her advice to parade-goers: arrive earlier than you think you need to, bring water and proper attire as the parade will happen come rain or shine.