Villanova Basketball Victory Parade: Your Need-to-Know Guide

Here’s when and where you can catch the 2018 men’s basketball national champions on Thursday. (Hint: It won’t be on the Main Line.)


Parade celebrating Villanova’s 2016 men’s basketball National Championship. (Photo by HughE Dillon.)

Villanova just won the national championship! It’s actually the tiny Main Line Catholic school’s third men’s basketball title – their second in three years, even. So naturally we’re throwing a big parade for the Wildcats and head coach Jay Wright on Thursday.

In keeping with tradition, the festivities will be held in Center City, which is sure to ruffle the feathers of more than a few old-school Big 5 folks. (You know, the guys who can’t talk Philly basketball without first mentioning that Villanova’s campus falls outside the city limits.)

Approximately 60,000 people showed up for ’Nova’s last parade in 2016. According to Philly.com, that downtown party cost about $22,000, with the university on the hook for police, emergency services, and post-event cleanup. For those of you who are interested in welcoming home the ’Cats and their new hardware on Thursday, here’s everything you need to know.

Route

Parade floats will begin their ride at 11 a.m. on Thursday, starting from 20th and Market streets and ending with a rally at Dilworth Park. City officials say the entire event is expected to conclude around 12:30 p.m.

Road Closures

The following streets will be closed starting at 9:30 a.m. until approximately noon:

  • 2000-2900 Market Street (Cross traffic will not be permitted during this timeframe)

The following streets will be closed starting at 10 a.m. until approximately 1 p.m.:

  • 1600-1900 Market Street
  • 16th Street from JFK Boulevard to Chestnut Street
  • 17th Street from JFK Boulevard to Chestnut Street
  • 18th Street from JFK Boulevard to Chestnut Street
  • 19th Street from JFK Boulevard to Chestnut Street
  • 20th Street from JFK Boulevard to Chestnut Street

The following streets will be closed starting at 10 a.m. until approximately 3 p.m.:

  • 1500 Market Street
  •  15th Street from Race Street to Chestnut Street
  • South Penn Square from 15th Street to Broad Street

Parking Restrictions

The following streets will be posted as “Temporary No Parking” zones from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.:

  • 1400 JFK Boulevard (south side)
  • 1500-1600 JFK Boulevard (both sides)
  • 1700 JFK Boulevard (both sides)
  • 1500-2900 Market Street (both sides)
  • 15th Street from Chestnut Street to Arch Street (both sides)
  • South Penn Square from 15th Street to Broad Street (south side)

Public Transportation

Due to the street closures, SEPTA buses will be detoured from their normal routes through the area beginning at 9 a.m. through approximately 3 p.m. Detours will be posted and specific route changes will be made available on the System Status Page at www.septa.org.

Extra capacity will be added to SEPTA’s Norristown High Speed Line, Market-Frankford Line and Broad Street Line. (The NHSL provides service from the Villanova University area with stops at Radnor and Villanova stations.) NHSL passengers can transfer to the MFL at 69th Street Transportation Center to continue onward to Center City.

Stairs and elevators to Dilworth Park from the underground concourse will be closed beginning at 9 a.m. and reopened as conditions allow.