Route and start time for Eagles’ Super Bowl parade are announced

The City of Philadelphia has a valentine this year: The Eagles.

Or, as Mayor Cherelle L. Parker spelled the team’s name following the Birds’ 40-22 trouncing of the Kansas City Chiefs in Sunday’s Super Bowl, “N-F-L C-H-A-M-P-I-O-N-S.”

City officials confirmed Tuesday that the Eagles’ championship parade will kick off 11 a.m. Friday — Valentine’s Day — with a route beginning at Broad Street and Pattison Avenue. The route will proceed north toward the Philadelphia Museum of Art, passing along the west side of City Hall to John F. Kennedy Boulevard before taking 16th Street to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

» READ MORE: Eagles Super Bowl Parade: Best spots, what to wear, and survival tips from fans who’ve been there

Parade producer Fred Stein of the Creative Group Inc. said he expected the parade to arrive at the Art Museum between 12:30 p.m. and 1 p.m., and Eagles players and coaches will gather at a stage at the museum’s famed “Rocky Steps.” Ceremonies are slated to begin about 2 p.m. and wrap up around 3:15 p.m., Stein said.

Stein added that he expects more than a million people to attend the parade. In 2018, when the Birds won their first Super Bowl, the official visitor count hovered around 700,000 people — though the Creative Group clocked about 1.4 million, he added.

SEPTA, meanwhile, plans to incorporate express-style service, consolidated stops, and free travel on the Market-Frankford and Broad Street Lines on Friday, the agency’s interim general manager, Scott Sauer, said Tuesday.

“We’re ready,” Sauer said. “We’ve done this.”

» READ MORE: Super Bowl Parade in Philadelphia: Route, road closures, SEPTA, bathrooms, and food

While the agency’s full transit plan is set to be released Wednesday, Sauer offered a few details.

Trains on the Market-Frankford and Broad Street Lines will run every six to eight minutes, and riders can travel free thanks to a sponsorship from Philly native Kevin Hart’s tequila brand, Gran Coramino, Sauer said. Those lines, he added, are “your best bet” at getting around the city. Regional Rail service will operate to and from “select outlying stations” in order to maximize train capacity, Sauer said. Riders, he added, should be patient.

“We can’t get everybody in at the same time, and we can’t get everybody out at the same time,” he said. “Consider spacing out your return trip after the parade ends.”

PATCO will use a modified schedule to accommodate an estimated 80,000 expected passengers coming from South Jersey to Center City.

Westbound-only service will operate from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. from PATCO’s Lindenwold, Woodcrest, Ferry Avenue, and City Hall stations, with nonstop service to 9th-10th and Locust Streets, the agency said. After 1 p.m., it will transition to eastbound-only service from 9th-10th and Locust before resuming normal operations at 7 p.m.

Like SEPTA and PATCO, the city’s bike-share program, Indego, will be up and running, general manager Nate Bowman Johnston said. While a few stations along the parade route will be closed, the service will have more than 200 stations operating around the city, and customers will be able to get 20% off single, 30-minute rides on nonelectric bikes. Guest passes, which include an unlimited number of 60-minute rides on a classic bike over a 24-hour period, will also be 20% off.

Philadelphia School District schools will be closed Friday, and districts including Marple Newtown, Central Bucks, North Penn, and Cheltenham have staff development days planned. In South Jersey, the Gloucester City School District will be closed, officials said.

Philadelphia courts will be closed Friday. Both in-person and scheduled hearings for criminal, civil, family, and traffic courts will be rescheduled, and employees do not have to report to work, courts spokesperson Marty O’Rourke told The Inquirer. People summoned for jury duty Friday are excused and will not need to report.

Trash and recycling collection will be suspended Friday, with the Sanitation Department operating on a holiday schedule to accommodate the parade. Philadelphians who usually have trash pickup on Fridays should instead place their garbage and recycling outside on Saturday, the city said in a statement.

Officials on Tuesday stressed security would be a priority for the city and urged people to take precautions at the parade to ensure a safe celebration.

Managing Director Adam Thiel said parade watchers ought to make travel and meetup plans beforehand, dress for the cold, stay hydrated, and text “readyeagles” to the city’s text line at 888-777 for more travel, weather, and safety information.

Parker, meanwhile, acknowledged that the Eagles’ championship parade planned for Friday will coincide with Valentine’s Day, and encouraged couples with dining reservations to still plan on celebrating the holiday in the city.

“We want you to know we will be prepared,” Parker said. “Nothing will interfere with our restaurant reservations on that evening.”

And, she implored parade attendees, stay off the light poles. Following the Eagles’ NFC championship win, Temple student Tyler Sabapathy was killed after suffering injuries in a fall from a light pole, a death officials have called a tragedy.

“Let’s try to do things decently,” Parker said.

Staff writers Nate File, Kristen A. Graham, Ellie Rushing, and Erin McCarthy contributed to this article.