It won’t just be thousands of fans joining the Los Angeles Dodgers players, staff and families at tomorrow’s “Victory Day in L.A.” Hordes of city workers, transportation staff, firefighters and police officers will be rolling along the downtown route, too. Oh, and the folks who usually work in Downtown, too.
Mayor Karen Bass and other leaders in Dodgers gear gathered Thursday morning to temper the celebratory mood with gentle warnings: if you’re planning on celebrating L.A.’s World Series championship at the parade, arrive early, plan ahead, and behave yourself.
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Thousands of fans are expected to descend on Downtown even before the parade kicks off at 11 a.m. from Gloria Molina Grand Park on Spring Street in front of Los Angeles City Hall.
Major streets will be closed, making driving and parking a challenge. Bass, Sheriff Robert Luna, Supervisor Lindsey Horvath shared one piece of advice: ditch the car (yes, even in Los Angeles) and use public transit. Stephanie Wiggins, Metro CEO, said the subway and bus system is ready to transport revelers throughout the region.
The weather Friday is predicted to be ideal for cheering and waving, with highs in the low 70s, so layer up the Dodgers gear and don’t forget a cap.
“Tomorrow will be a celebration of greatness,” Bass said, noting the parade is happening on what would have been Dodgers great Fernando Valenzuela’s 64th birthday. The Mexican-born pitching legend died on Oct. 22.
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“Exactly a week ago, I stood here and said L.A. was ready to win. Now L.A. is ready to celebrate and what better way to do that than on Fernando Valenzuela’s birthday?” she said. “Let’s celebrate our team and celebrate our city. That’s what we do because we are a city of champions. Go, Dodgers.”
Bass encouraged anyone work from home, noting county workers who don’t need to be in the Civic Center area will telework. Restaurants will be open, though, and the mayor reminded parade goers to patronize local businesses along the route. All county building will be open, but best to do business online at lacounty.gov, or wait until Monday.
Horvath also noted vote centers in the area will be open ahead of Election Day Tuesday.
Fans can’t wait for the chance to cheer their champions.
On Friday, Fabio Molina, 35, of East L.A., plans to take his daughter Alex, 7, to her first World Series victory parade, where she’ll cheer for the Dodgers surrounded by other fans.
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The family planned to celebrate with family Wednesday night before school and work the next morning.
“It is a weekday,” he said, “but that doesn’t stop us from celebrating.”
Here’s what you need to know if you’re spending Friday at the parade or will be working and hanging downtown:
The parade
The 2024 Dodgers Championship Parade will begin at 11 a.m. in front of Los Angeles City Hall, 200 N. Spring St. and go on a 45-minute route from 1st Street to Grand Avenue to 5th Street, ending at the intersection of 5th and Flower Streets.
A ticketed event is set at Dodger Stadium after the parade, beginning around 12:15 p.m. Parking gates will open at 8:30 a.m. and stadium entry gates at 9 a.m. No signs, bags or any other items not usually permitted at Dodger games will be allowed. Choose to cheer on the Dodgers atop double-decker buses along the route or at the stadium, as Dodgers officials advise there won’t be time to commute between the events.
Tickets to the stadium celebration go on sale noon today at mlb.com/dodgers/tickets.
Getting there
One word: Metro. Stephanie Wiggins, CEO of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, touted the new regional connector that wasn’t in place when the Dodgers last won the championship in 2020.
“We have direct stops in Little Tokyo, Broadway, City Hall, and also Grand Avenue and Bunker Hill for the Civic Center,” Wiggins said. “You can either take our subway system, the B Line from North Hollywood and the D Line for Wilshire/Western to one of the three stations, either Grand Park, Pershing Square or 7th and Metro Center.”
From the San Gabriel Valley or the South Bay, take the A Line to 2nd and Broadway station, the Grand Avenue/Bunker Hill station or the 7th and Metro Center station. From Santa Monica or East Los Angeles, take the E Line to the same stations. Pick up the A, B and D lines from Union Station, which connects to Metrolink, Amtrak and other bus services.
Bus riders who travel through downtown should note 30 Metro bus lines will be affected by the festivities, including the busiest lines such as J, Line 4, and downtown Santa Monica Boulevard. Detour maps are on metro.net. Follow Metro alerts on @MetroLAAlerts on X and Twitter.
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The Dodger Express will be running, too. Catch it at Union Station, but note you have to have tickets to the stadium event to ride the bus.
Metro fare us $1.75 or $3.50 roundtrip.
Road closures
If you must drive, be aware of road closures and parking restrictions. Use parking apps such as SpotHero to book a spot ahead of time.
Streets from Cesar Chavez to 6th Street downtown will be closed as well as between Los Angeles and Figueroa Streets, starting at 4 a.m. Friday until after the parade when traffic staff will determine roads are safe to reopen.
Laura Rubio-Cornejo, manager of the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, as a result of these closures, bus service for L.A. DOT, Downtown DASH, Metro bus and other commuter transit services will be disrupted and detoured, referring commuters to the websites of transit agencies such as ladot.lacity.gov or foothilltransit.org for more information.
More than 100 traffic control officers will be deployed closures and signals throughout the duration of the parade.
Security
“The LAPD is fully prepared to enjoy a safe and enjoyable celebration tomorrow,” said Assistant Police Chief Blake Chow. He added a safety plan is in place along the parade route and throughout the surrounding neighborhoods.
Sheriff Robert Luna got in a dig at his East Coast counterpart before reminding Angelenos of the increased police presence downtown during parade day. Both law enforcement leaders had a friendly wager, with the loser wearing the winner’s cap to work.
“Guess who’s not wearing a Yankees cap? Just sayin’,” Luna said. “When you go out and celebrate, please do not use illegal fireworks, do not go out and close down intersections and take them over and have cars spinning around.”
Luna confirmed there will also be an increased police presence on buses and trains.
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