Your guide to the Capitals' victory parade

WASHINGTON — It’s not every day that a city gets to celebrate a championship.

With the Capitals winning the first Stanley Cup in franchise history, D.C. will be celebrating in a big way with a parade through downtown, then a rally on the National Mall on Tuesday, June 12.

As with any big parade, there will be a slew of street closures and parking restrictions. Here’s what you need to know before the parade kicks off.

Where and when is the parade?

The parade will kick off at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, June 12, starting at Constitution Avenue and 17th Street near the Washington Monument then proceeding along Constitution Avenue to Seventh Street, where it will culminate in a rally on the National Mall.

You can see a map of the parade route below:

When the Capitals’ owner Monumental Sports submitted its permit application to the National Park Service, it requested an event stage on Seventh Street between Jefferson and Madison Drives in Northwest D.C.

What to expect

One thing you can expect is a lot of people.

In 1992, when the Redskins held a victory rally on the National Mall after winning the Super Bowl, more than 75,000 people showed up. The Washington Post said that rally was “smaller and more subdued” than previous rallies.

More than 500,000 fans showed up for the Redskins’ Super Bowl parade and rally in 1988, which is what prompted the D.C. police to limit the celebration in 1992.

D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham said police have been planning for this parade for awhile.

“Washington, D.C., is a place where we hold a parade almost every weekend,” Newsham said. “This is something we do and we do very well.”

Thousands of people packed the streets around the Capital One Arena in downtown D.C. for watch parties during the Stanley Cup final and when the Caps actually won the Cup, police said they dealt with a mostly peaceful crowd.

“I saw a lot of hugging and a lot of celebration,” Newsham said. “We didn’t have to make but one arrest, which is really a testament to the fans here in Washington, D.C.”

Parking restrictions and street closures

There will be significant parking restrictions close to the National Mall. Most parking restrictions will begin at 6:30 p.m. Monday through 3:30 p.m. Tuesday except as noted below:

Seventh Street will be Emergency No Parking from 6:30 p.m. on Monday, June 11 through 11 p.m. on Tuesday, June 12 from Pennsylvania Avenue, NW to Independence Avenue, SW
Seventh Street will be closed from Constitution Avenue, NW to Independence Avenue, SW during the same time.
Constitution Avenue, NW from Sixth Street to 23rd Street, NW
Ninth Street, NW from Pennsylvania Avenue, NW to I-395
10th Street, NW from Pennsylvania Avenue, NW to Constitution Avenue, NW
12th Street, NW from Pennsylvania Avenue, NW to Constitution Avenue, NW
14th Street from Pennsylvania Avenue, NW to Independence Avenue, SW
15th Street from Pennsylvania Avenue, NW to Independence Avenue, SW
17th Street from Pennsylvania Avenue, NW to Independence Avenue, SW
18th Street from New York Avenue, NW to Constitution Avenue, NW
19th Street from Virginia Avenue, NW to Constitution Avenue, NW
20th Street form C Street, NW to Constitution Avenue, NW
21st Street from C Street, NW to Constitution Avenue, NW
22nd Street from C Street, NW to Constitution Avenue, NW
23rd Street from C Street, NW to Constitution Avenue, NW
Virginia Avenue, NW from 18th Street to 19th Street, NW
Independence Avenue, SW from Third to 14th Street, SW
Madison Drive from Fourth to 15th Streets, NW
Jefferson Drive from 14th to 4th Streets, SW
Henry Bacon Drive, SW from Lincoln Memorial Circle to Constitution Avenue, NW
Parkway Drive, SW from Independence Avenue, to Lincoln Memorial Circle

The follow streets will be closed on Tuesday, June 12, starting at 9:30 a.m. through 3:30 p.m.:

Inbound 14th Street Bridge Main Line — all traffic will be directed toward Eastbound I-395
Inbound 14th Street Bridge HOV — all traffic will be directed toward Eastbound I-395
Northbound 12th Street Tunnel — all traffic will be directed toward Eastbound I-395
Eastbound Theodore Roosevelt Bridge — all traffic will be directed toward E Street
Expressway/Potomac River Freeway
Southbound Ninth Street Tunnel
Constitution Avenue, NW from 6th Street to 23rd Street, NW
Ninth Street, NW from Pennsylvania Avenue, NW to I-395
10th Street, NW from Pennsylvania Avenue, NW to Constitution Avenue, NW
12th Street, NW from Pennsylvania Avenue, NW to Constitution Avenue, NW
14th Street from Pennsylvania Avenue, NW to Independence Avenue, SW
15th Street from Pennsylvania Avenue, NW to Independence Avenue, SW
17th Street from Pennsylvania Avenue, NW to Independence Avenue, SW
18th Street from New York Avenue, NW to Constitution Avenue, NW
19th Street from Virginia Avenue, NW to Constitution Avenue, NW
20th Street form C Street, NW to Constitution Avenue, NW
21st Street from C Street, NW to Constitution Avenue, NW
22nd Street from C Street, NW to Constitution Avenue, NW
23rd Street from Virginia Avenue, NW to Constitution Avenue, NW
Virginia Avenue, NW from 18th Street to 19th Street, NW
Madison Drive from 4th to 15th Streets, NW
Jefferson Drive from 14th to 4th Streets, SW
Henry Bacon Drive, SW from Lincoln Memorial Circle to Constitution Avenue, NW
Parkway Drive, SW from Independence Avenue, to Lincoln Memorial Circle

Getting around

With all the street closures and parking restrictions, public transportation is probably your best bet at getting and to and from the parade.

Metro announced Friday that it will operate rush-hour service levels throughout the day to accommodate for the thousands of fans expected to descend upon the area.

Metro will open at 5 a.m. and trains will depart end-of-line stations every eight minutes, with service as frequent as every two to four minutes at downtown stations served by multiple lines.

Weather

It looks like the weather should cooperate for the parade.

Tuesday is expected to be partly cloudy with a high of 78 degrees.

Visit our weather page for the latest updates, follow us on Twitter @WTOP, and listen to live weather reports every 10 minutes on 103.5 FM or via our online stream.

View: Latest weather radar and current temperatures.

Traffic

Visit our traffic page for the latest updates, follow us on Twitter @WTOPtraffic, and listen to live traffic reports every 10 minutes on 103.5 FM or via our online stream.

You can see a map of the current traffic conditions below:

View: Latest traffic conditions and latest traffic report.

When was the last time D.C. saw a parade like this?

The District is certainly no stranger when it comes to hosting parades and marches. Hundreds of thousands of people attended the March for Our Lives on the National Mall earlier this year.

It has been awhile since D.C. saw a victory parade, however.

When D.C. United won its second MLS title in 1997, there was a nine-block parade along Pennsylvania Avenue. The Washington Post said “several hundred” people showed up for that parade and described the crowd as “small, but enthusiastic.”

After the Redskins won Super Bowl XXVI in 1992, more than 75,000 fans showed up a celebration on the National Mall.

The Washington Post reported that crowd was actually a lot smaller than what was originally expected, largely because police wanted avoid a repeat of what happened of the Redskins parade and rally in 1988.

More than 600,000 people attended the Redskins’ victory rally in 1988. The Washington Post described the rally as being “unruly” at times and quoted the assistant police chief as saying police “lost the street.”

After the Redskins won the Super Bowl in 1983, they held a 12-block parade along Constitution Avenue that saw more than 500,000 people come out to cheer the team in the rain. That crowd was much more subdued, and there were no arrests or serious injuries related to the parade.

Perhaps the longest parade was after the then-named Washington Bullets won its only NBA title in 1978. The team celebrated with an 11-mile parade stretching from the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland, to RFK Stadium with stops at the White House along the way.

The Washington Post said more than 100,000 people lined the parade route.

When the Washington Senators won their only World Series in 1924, more than 100,000 people lined Pennsylvania Avenue for a victory parade.