As Fort Lauderdale prepares for the Florida Panthers‘ second straight Stanley Cup championship parade, city officials and fans are offering key advice for navigating the celebration.
With large crowds expected, transportation and parking will be major considerations for anyone heading to the beachside event.
Parade route and rally details
CBS News Miami
The parade begins at noon Sunday on A1A at Riomar Street and continues south to Southeast 5th Street, where a rally will be held on a stage. Crews have already started setting up barricades and building the stage along the beach.
“The Elbo Room all the way down the beach. It’s gonna be amazing,” said Rich Rodriguez, who attended last year’s celebration.
Rodriguez and his friend Alex Guzman described the 2023 event as a once-in-a-lifetime experience—and one that gave them important insight into planning for this year’s festivities.
“If you’re driving here, you’re just gonna get stuck somewhere,” Rodriguez said.
Parking, transportation and arrival tips
The City of Fort Lauderdale says 26 nearby parking garages will be open for the event, but walking distances to the venue could range from five minutes to over an hour.
“Parking is gonna be difficult. So make sure you use ride share or carpool. Water taxi will be available,” said Mayor Dean Trantalis.
Rodriguez and Guzman opted for the water taxi last year and say it’s the way to go.
“It’s well worth it. You don’t have to drive. If you’re drinking you don’t have to worry about anything like that. The traffic. You can see there are two lanes on the road and it’s gonna be really really crowded,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez added that he arrived at the water taxi about three and a half hours before the start of the parade last year.
“Last time we got here at about 8:30 and there were already hundreds of thousands of people here. And it was stormy,” he said.
Police presence and safety measures
Fort Lauderdale police say there are no known threats to the event.
Officials added that it will be “all hands on deck,” meaning nearly every officer not on vacation will be working during Sunday’s parade.
