Super Bowl 2024 parade: Chiefs fans line the streets of Kansas City HOURS before it begins, with thousands hoping for a glimpse of Travis Kelce and the team but Taylor Swift is already in Melbourne
Chiefs Kingdom celebrated their last Super Bowl parade just a year ago, but it seems the taste of victory never gets old as fans lined the streets in anticipation of welcoming their triumphant team from Las Vegas.
The Kansas City Chiefs sealed back-to-back Super Bowl victories – becoming the first team to do so since 2004 – with a thrilling 25-22 overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday.
Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and co flew back from Sin City on Monday, but they gave themselves an extra day to recover from their after-party hangovers before celebrating their win against Kansas City on Wednesday.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas planned the victory parade for Valentine’s Day and immediately declared on social media after the victory, “LETS HAVE A PARADE WEDNESDAY!”
And the Chiefs faithful didn’t disappoint as they took to the streets hours before the scheduled 11 a.m. CT/12 p.m. ET start time to catch a glimpse of Mahomes hoisting the Lombardi Trophy for the third time in five years.
The Kansas City Chiefs earned back-to-back Super Bowl victories against the 49ers on Sunday
Chiefs fans lined the streets of Kansas City for thousands of hours before the victory parade
Chiefs Kingdom showed up for the victory parade with replicas of the Vince Lombardi Trophy
Kansas City fans donned their jerseys and brought homemade Patrick Mahomes signs
Downtown Kansas City turned into a sea of red as fans packed the parade route, many bringing fold-out chairs to take their places, hours before it began to guarantee a glimpse of their champions.
“It never gets old,” Mayor Lucas wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on the eve of Wednesday’s festivities.
The city and team each contributed about $1 million to the event commemorating Kelce, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs becoming the first team since Tom Brady and the New England Patriots to defend their title two decades ago.
Many of the area’s largest school districts have canceled classes, and businesses along the parade path are turning the day into a viewing party for their employees.
At least 600 Kansas City police officers will be stationed along the two-mile route, Police Chief Stacey Graves said.
The estimated audience of one million people is drawn by the unseasonably warm temperatures in the 60s Fahrenheit and the extremely slim possibility of seeing Taylor Swift alongside boyfriend Kelce and the reigning champs.
However, those who came out for the pop star will be sorely disappointed as she will not be attending the festivities.
The singer, who watched her boyfriend win his third Super Bowl with his family and her friends from a VIP box, partied with the team until 5:15 a.m. on the Vegas Strip, including a much-loved display with the tight end.
Taylor Swift will not be attending the festivities as she arrived in Australia for her tour
The singer had cheered on tight-lipped boyfriend Travis Kelce at Allegiant Stadium
The pop star also partied until the early hours with Kelce and the Chiefs at the afterparty
Some fans hoped to catch a glimpse of her with some gestures that referenced her lyrics
Fans gathered along the parade route Wednesday wearing commemorative hats and banners
Chiefs fan Scott Shepard poses with “KC” chains around his neck before the parade
A young girl in a Chiefs sweater and jacket sits on her father’s shoulders early in the morning
But this week she returned to her Eras Tour duties, landing in Melbourne on one of her luxury jets to kick off the Australian leg of her sold-out show.
The Cruel Summer singer will take to the stage in front of 85,000 screaming fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the first show on Friday, meaning she will miss the Chief’s parade and her first Valentine’s Day with Kelce.
The parade will begin at morning local time and will be followed by a rally at Union Station at 12:45 a.m. CT.
This year’s parade will follow almost exactly the same route as the Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebrations in 2020 and 2023.
The route begins at 6th Street, the Kansas City River Market and ends at Pershing Road, in front of Union Station, according to the Kansas City star.
However, there is one difference with this year’s map: the route does not pass through the city market.
One supporter wears a team poncho while waving the Kansas City flag before the start
Some fans brought fold-out chairs to take their places hours before the parade started
The route ends at Pershing Road, in front of Union Station (photo)
A young fan throws a football in the closed street while the sun is still rising
A man shows off his Kansas City Chiefs tattoos, including those of Mahomes and Kelce
Fans entered downtown Kansas City hours before the 11 a.m. CT/12 p.m. ET start time
After decades without a championship, the city is gaining experience with victory parades. Five seasons ago, the Chiefs defeated the 49ers for the team’s first Super Bowl championship in 50 years.
That came after the Kansas City Royals won the World Series in 2015, the city’s first baseball championship in 30 years. That year, fans left their cars on the side of the highway so they could walk to the party.
Last year, the Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 and prophetically promised to come back for more.
A big change this year is that the parade will start an hour earlier at 11 a.m. so the crowds will clear before the Valentine’s Day dinner.