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Details on the Chiefs’ victory celebration and whether Taylor Swift can attend
Still looking for a last-minute Valentine’s Day gift for your significant other?
How about bringing them to a Super Bowl parade?
For Kansas City Chiefs fans, that is a legitimate option this year. After defeating the San Francisco 49ers in overtime to win Super Bowl LVIII, and become the first team since the New England Patriots in 2005 to win back-to-back titles, the Chiefs are set to hold their victory rally and parade on Wednesday, Valentine’s Day.
Here is everything you need to know for the Chiefs’ victory celebration.
Victory Parade
The celebration kicks off with a parade, which is set to begin at 11:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday. The parade will start at the intersection of 6th Street and Grand Boulevard, traveling south down Grand Boulevard before making a quick jog to the west, to arrive at Union Station and the National WWI Museum and Memorial.
The parade is expected to last 90 minutes. You can see the full route here courtesy of ChiefsParade.com:
According to ChiefsParade.com road closures will begin in the area on Monday. Here is a description of all the road closures residents can expect in the coming days:
Pershing Road, from Main Street to Kessler Rd, will be closed beginning Monday, February 12. Road closures on the parade route will begin on Tuesday, February 13 at 11:00am.
Union Station will be closed to public access beginning Tuesday, February 13 at 11:59pm. It will reopen on Wednesday, February 14 at approximately 4:00pm.
The streets running east and west of Grand Blvd will be closed between Walnut & McGee from 6th street on the north to Pershing Road on the south. Street closures will be in effect beginning at 11:00am Tuesday, February 13.
Main Street, from 20th Street to Pershing Road will be closed to vehicles and pedestrians on Wednesday, February 14.
Main Street from Pershing Road to 27th Street will be closed to vehicles but open to pedestrians. Additional closures on Main from 27th to 31st will be in effect when the parade starts.
Victory Rally
Following the parade, a “Victory Rally” will take place “in front of Union Station and the National WWI Museum and Memorial north lawn.”
The rally is slated to begin at 12:45 p.m. local time, and is estimated to last around one hour.
School closings
According to KMBC a number of area school districts have already announced closures for Wednesday, anticipating that a high number of students and families will attend the parade.
Some school districts have announced makeup days, while others have already indicated that there will be no makeup date.
The Kansas City Public Schools District: KCPS said they are not expecting to add additional days to the school calendar.
Independence School District: The district said it will make up the date on Monday, April 29.
Lee’s Summit School District
North Kansas City School District
Harrisonville School District: The district will make up the date on Monday, April 1
Shawnee Mission School District
Television information
Fans who cannot make it to Kansas City for the celebration have a few ways to follow along on television or through streaming.
Local residents can watch the celebration on FOX4, with coverage set to begin with the “FOX4 Morning Show” starting at 4 a.m., moving to pre-parade coverage, followed by the main event. Fans can also stream their coverage at FOX4KC.com. In addition, KMBC9 will also be covering the event live, as well as online at KMBC.com. The same goes for KSHB41 who will be broadcasting the parade in the Kansas City area and online.
Fans who are not local can find the celebration on the NFL Network, as well as on NFL.com.
Will Taylor Swift attend Chiefs parade?
Given everything that went into the global superstar getting to Super Bowl LVIII, it is fair to wonder if Taylor Swift will attend the victory parade and rally.
And, since it is Valentine’s Day after all, it is a fair question.
Swift’s next concert date is Friday, February 16 in Melbourne, Australia, so she does have a day between the two that could allow her to attend the parade. However, bear in mind that while the International Date Line helped her get from Tokyo to Las Vegas for Super Bowl LVIII, that now works against her when — potentially — traveling from Kansas City to Australia.
Melbourne is 17 hours ahead of Kansas City. So when the parade begins at 11:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday, it will be 4:00 a.m. local time Thursday local time in Melbourne. Factor in a roughly 20-hour flight, and you can see how tough it might be for Swift to attend the parade and get to her show.
Now, perhaps that opens the door for Travis Kelce to skip the parade, and head to Australia with Swift instead …
