Here’s when Kansas City’s Super Bowl parade will be after Chiefs’ victory
Editor’s note: More details for Wednesday’s parade have been announced. Here’s what you need to know.
Kansas City officials have planned a multimillion-dollar parade for Feb. 15 to celebrate the Chiefs’ victory in Super Bowl LVII.
A council committee approved spending $750,000 from the city’s Neighborhood Tourist Development Fund for costs of parade security, decorations and equipment.
Officials anticipate $1.1 million in private sponsorships, a $400,000 allocation from Jackson County and $1.5 million in police and fire overtime costs. All told, the parade could cost some $3.75 million.
When is Chiefs’ parade?
Wednesday, Feb. 15, at noon.
Where will the parade be?
The parade route has not been announced. But it is planned to end at Union Station. City leaders expect some 500,000 fans to show up.
Kansas City held parades for the World Series-winning Royals in 2015 and the Chiefs, who won Super Bowl LIV, after the 2019 season.
Previous victory parades through Kansas City have started at different places. Royals players and officials gathered at T-Mobile Center (then known as Sprint Center) at 14th Street, went north for a few blocks and then turned around, picking up Grand at Truman Road before heading to Union Station. The Chiefs’ parade started on Sixth Street and remained on Grand until making a final turn on Pershing Road to the final destination — also Union Station.
Earlier this week, Kathy Nelson, president and CEO of the Kansas City Sports Commission and VisitKC, told The Star that officials were weighing security, traffic disruptions, viewing angles for fans and “what route would provide the best feel of the city.”
“We’re getting ready; you have to,” she said. “Having had parades, we’ve picked up some lessons along the way.”
Feb. 16 is the alternate date for a parade in the case of inclement weather or other unforeseen circumstances.
While officials said they expect a $400,000 contribution from Jackson County, that funding is not yet finalized. A Jackson County spokesperson could not be immediately reached for comment.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said he would appreciate support from the county to defray the costs of police and fire overtime from a parade.
“There will probably be an excess of $1.5 million of overtime for public safety relating to this, which is not anticipated in this contract or an agreement with the county,” Lucas said. “I think that’s where the real question will come up at some point. But no one will estimate that for us in advance; they’ll just tell us later.”
Kansas City Police officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The city’s Neighborhood Tourist Development Fund is funded by a special convention and tourism tax established in the 1990s. A 15-member board grants funds to local groups for cultural, historic and recreational events “in conjunction with promoting the city as a premier convention, visitor and tourist center.”
Last May, the City Council awarded more than $1.2 million to 133 nonprofit groups selected by the board. That included $25,000 to Union Station for its Maya exhibit, $31,200 to the Starlight Theatre Association for its 2022 Broadway series and $10,000 toward the Kansas City St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
Councilwoman Melissa Robinson, who represents the 3rd District on Kansas City’s East Side, said she “100%” supported the parade expenditure. But she questioned whether spending on big events would create a “structural imbalance” when it comes to funding smaller, neighborhood initiatives and events.
Jason Pryor, chairman of the board, said the body has been setting aside 10% of its revenues for larger events like Super Bowl parades. That means the $700,000 for the parade will come from a contingency fund — and not impact grant applicants this year.
City spokeswoman Monica Castro said the fund’s budget fluctuates annually, but averages about $1.7 million per year. The budget has not been set for the upcoming fiscal year, she said.
Robinson said she wanted to ensure that extra tourism revenues from big events like the potential Super Bowl parade and the upcoming NFL Draft go back into neighborhoods.
“I just want to make sure that when we’re deliberating for next year, when we have an influx of cash from the draft, and also from the parade — because we are putting out good vibes that they will be successful and Go Chiefs! — but the neighborhoods do reap that benefit,” she said. “And we balance the scales.”
The Star’s Blair Kerkhoff contributed to this story.
This story was originally published February 1, 2023 at 12:28 PM.
