See images from the start of the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade
The Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade was under way shortly before noon Wednesday in downtown Kansas City.
The parade, including a line of double-decker buses painted red for the Chiefs, was set to begin near Sixth Street and head south along Grand Boulevard for about two miles before turning west on Pershing Road to head toward Union Station.
There, a victory rally with Chiefs players is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
To watch a live broadcast of the parade, hosted by The Star’s Blair Kerkhoff, Vahe Gregorian and Sam McDowell, see the Facebook Live video here.
Kansas City is celebrating its first Super Bowl in 50 years after defeating the San Francisco 49ers Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The Chiefs won by a score of 31-20.
On Wednesday, thousands of fans lined Grand Boulevard to cheer the Chiefs on.
Before the parade started, speakers blasted oldies, including the Def Leppard song “Pour Some Sugar on Me.” The crowd at Sixth and Grand knew it was nearing parade time as the speakers switched to the Beastie Boy’s “Fight for Your Right” and Tech N9ne’s “Red Kingdom.”
The parade started on time.
Phones immediately lifted toward the cloudy sky as spectators sought to capture the moment. But the crowds near the beginning of the parade were ten people deep in some places, making it hard to see who was who as the parade’s cars and double-decker buses passed.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas threw his hands out in celebration as he passed by. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson smiled widely as he crawled past.
The route was littered with confetti cannons, which elicited loud applause at each shot.
Some fans complained that the players — particularly MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes — were hard to spot atop the crowded buses. One woman, however, said it was just like the meek quarterback to not hog the spotlight.
After less than a half hour, the parade concluded with emergency vehicles and the crowd quickly dispersed to get out of the cold.
Many took to social media to share images of the Chiefs players and celebrities in the parade.
A crowd was gathered for the victory celebration at Union Station.
This story was originally published February 5, 2020 at 11:50 AM.
