WASHINGTON — The Washington Capitals will celebrate their 2018 Stanley Cup with a parade in downtown D.C. and a rally on the National Mall next week, the team announced.
The parade will begin at 11 a.m. on Tuesday June 12 starting at Constitution Avenue and 17th Streets near the Washington Monument. The parade will proceed along Constitution Avenue to Seventh Street and will culminate in a rally on the National Mall.
The parade will be free, and more details will be released in the coming days, the team said in a statement.
The permit application Washington Capitals’ owner Monumental Sports submitted to the National Park Service envisions a grandiose event.
Celebration space requested includes an event stage on Seventh Street between Jefferson and Madison Drives in Northwest.
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.
See a map of the parade route below:
Details about the parade have been anticipated all day Friday after the Caps’ Thursday night 4-3 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final.
However, city officials had remain mostly tight-lipped.
D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham said earlier Friday the department had been in the planning stages for quite some time.
“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.”
Parking restrictions and road closures revealed
Significant parking restrictions will be enforced close to the National Mall, according to a release from MPD and DDOT. Roads will also be closed between 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Parking restrictions begin Monday night at 6:30 and last through Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. except as noted below:
- 7th Street will be Emergency No Parking from 6:30 p.m. on Monday, June 11 through 11:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 12 from Pennsylvania Avenue, NW to Independence Avenue, SW
- 7th Street will be closed from Constitution Avenue, NW to Independence Avenue, SW during the same time.
- Constitution Avenue, NW from 6th Street to 23rd Street, NW
- 9th 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 3rd to 14th Street, SW
- 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
The following streets will be closed from 9:30 a.m. on June 12 through 3:30 p.m. on June 12:
- 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 9th Street Tunnel
- Constitution Avenue, NW from 6th Street to 23rd Street, NW
- 9th 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
History of D.C. sports parades
The last time one of the big four D.C. sports teams won a championship was when the Redskins won the Super Bowl in 1992 and there actually wasn’t a parade that year. Instead, more than 75,000 fans attended a rally on the National Mall that The Washington Post said was “smaller and more subdued” than previous celebrations.
When the Redskins won the Redskins won the Super Bowl in 1988, a parade and rally down Pennsylvania Avenue drew more than 500,000 fans, which actually led to police limiting the celebration in 1992.
Thousands of fans have packed the streets around the Capital One Arena in downtown D.C. for watch parties during the Stanley Cup finals. After Thursday’s victory, 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.”
WTOP’s Kristi King contributed to this report.
