Los Angeles Dodgers parade draws thousands of fans after World Series victory
The first Dodgers parade in nearly 40 years is happening Friday, and before the sun was even up, fans started to line the downtown Los Angeles parade route, ready to cheer on their World Series champions.
The parade begins at 11 a.m., at Gloria Molina Grand Park across from City Hall. Dodgers players on double-decker buses will roll through the 45-minute procession south on Spring Street, then west on First Street, south on Grand Avenue and west on Fifth Street, ending in the area of Fifth and Flower streets.
With City Hall's glowing blue lights in the background, one excited fan said she grabbed her front-row seat behind the street barricade after leaving her home at 2 a.m. "We went to bed at 8, got up at 12, left Oxnard by 2, and we're here!"
Katie from Rialto joined the proud and faithful fan group and brought her five children, decked out in Dodgers gear. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing for the kids, it's something they are always going to remember."
Crews worked to clean the sidewalks and cleared tents at Grand Park Thursday, getting the area fan-ready.
The Los Angeles police and fire departments prepared safety plans, with a highly visible officer and paramedic presence throughout. The Los Angeles Department of Transportation will deploy 100 white-glove officers to manage car flow and establish specialized routes to and from the venues.
"I again want to urge Angelenos to celebrate responsibly," Mayor Karen Bass said during a Thursday news conference. "Violence of any kind will not be tolerated."
Along the route, some workplaces transitioned to work-from-home schedules. Due to the celebration, the county Hall of Administration and the Hall of Records will both be closed on Friday, as will all downtown Los Angeles Superior Court buildings.
Parking gates at the Dodger Stadium ticketed celebration open at 8:30 a.m. Food and merchandise will be on sale, with entertainment leading up to the big celebration. The team's arrival is expected around noon.
Jose Ubaldo from Metro encouraged fans to use public transportation to get to the parade. "We are offering the best transportation option today for all the people who want to go see the parade in downtown LA, and also to the Dodger Stadium," he said.
Metro has four lines, A, B, D, and E that get passengers from all areas of the county to the Dodgers celebrations.
Metro will also operate its Dodger Express to Dodger Stadium for the ticketed celebration that will follow the parade, beginning at 12:15 p.m.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna noted the agency is "going to have enhanced policing on all of our buses and trains" Friday to ensure the safety of people traveling downtown.
The last parade for the Dodgers happened in 1988 when the Boys in Blue defeated the Oakland Athletics 4 games to 1.
The parade will be aired on KCAL News Channel 2 and 9 and streamed on CBS News Los Angeles. It will be hosted by KCAL's Pat Harvey, Jim Hill, Jamie Yuccas, and Rudabeh Shahbazi.
