The first Dodgers parade in nearly 40 years takes place Friday, and before the sun was even up, fans started lining up parade route in downtown Los Angelesready to cheer on their World Series champions.
With the glowing blue lights of City Hall in the background, one excited fan said she secured her front row seat behind the street barricade after leaving her home at 2 a.m. “We went to bed at eight, got up at twelve, left Oxnard at two, and here we are!”
The parade starts at 11 a.m. in Gloria Molina Grand Park, across from City Hall. Dodgers players on double-decker buses will ride 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.
Katie from Rialto joined the proud and loyal fan group and brought along her five children decked out in Dodgers gear. “It’s something the kids only experience once in their lives, it’s something they will always remember.”
Crews worked Thursday to clear sidewalks and clear tents in Grand Park to get the area fan-ready.
The Los Angeles Police and Fire Departments have safety plans in place, with a highly visible officer and paramedic present everywhere. The Los Angeles Department of Transportation will deploy 100 white gloves to manage the flow of cars and establish specialized routes to and from the sites.
“I want to once again urge Angelenos to celebrate responsibly,” Mayor Karen Bass said during a news conference Thursday. “Violence of any kind will not be tolerated.”
Along the route, some workplaces have switched to working from home. 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 ticketed celebration at Dodger Stadium open at 8:30 am. There will be food and merchandise for sale, with entertainment leading up to the big party. The team’s arrival is expected around noon.
Metro’s Jose Ubaldo encouraged fans to use public transportation to get to the parade. “We are offering the best transportation option today for all people who want to attend the parade in downtown LA, as well as to Dodger Stadium,” he said.
Metro has four lines, A, B, D and E, that take passengers from all parts of the province to the Dodgers celebrations.
Metro will also drive its Dodger Express to Dodger Stadium for the ticketed party following the parade, beginning at 12:15 p.m.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna noted Friday that the agency will have “heightened oversight of all of our buses and trains” to ensure the safety of people traveling through the city.
The last parade for the Dodgers took place in 1988 when the Boys in Blue defeated the Oakland Athletics 4 games to 1.
The parade will be broadcast on KCAL News Channels 2 and 9 and streamed on CBS News Los Angeles. It is hosted by KCAL’s Pat Harvey, Jim Hill, Jamie Yuccas and Rudabeh Shahbazi.
