Seattle prioritizing safety, transit as Seahawks parade crowds expect 1M
Super Bowl parade safety preparations underway in Seattle
With Seattle's Super Bowl parade one day away, downtown officials say safety and transit are top of mind.
SEATTLE - With the crowds expected to reach one million, safety and transportation are top of mind as downtown Seattle prepares for the Seahawks’ Super Bowl victory parade.
Crews began setting up barricades early along the parade route, including near Fifth Avenue and James Street, where road closures are planned ahead of the celebration. Officials say lessons learned from past victory parades — both locally and nationwide — are shaping security and crowd-control efforts.
Safety concerns have taken on added urgency following recent incidents at large-scale sports celebrations. In 2024, gunfire broke out after the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade, killing one person and leaving many others hurt as crowds ran for cover.
Seahawks Super Bowl parade safety
What they're saying:
"Safety is top of mind for everything we do," Emily Cantrell, president and CEO of Seafair said.
Making the parade a reality is a partnership between SeaFair, the Seattle Sports Commission, the City of Seattle and the Seahawks.
To help ensure emergency response readiness, FirstNet — built with AT&T — is supporting Seattle Fire and EMS during the parade. Extra devices will be stationed along the route, including areas off Fourth Avenue, to help first responders stay connected in case of an emergency.
"We'll have a lot of emergency management officials out in security, and so people spilling into the street shouldn't happen," Cantrell said. "If it starts to we definitely have people in place to prevent that from happening."
Lessons from the last Super Bowl parade
Local perspective:
Seattle officials are also applying lessons learned from the city’s 2014 Super Bowl parade. This year’s preparations include additional porta potties, tighter barriers and new bicycle barricades.
"2014 was the first time we ever put on a Super Bowl victory parade, so we learned a lot from that back in 2014," Cantrell said. "Also a lesson learned from 2014; we will have porta potties this year. They'll be staged alongside Third Avenue and Fifth Avenue, so just off the parade route, all up and down."
Despite expected congestion, fans say the moment is worth the wait. Many plan to arrive early to secure spots along the route.
"We said what, like 8 a.m.?" Marcos Murillo said.
"We were joking about camping out," Sydney Blank said.
"I plan to be here about 7 o'clock," Philip Smith said.
For others, the decision to attend comes with some hesitation.
The other side:
"It's been the big debate in the household. I want to come. Pat’s a little hesitant," Christine Day said.
"I’m on the sideline, I’m not sure," Pat Day said.
While excitement is high, fans acknowledge lingering safety concerns.
"In the back of my mind there are thoughts, but you know, I'll keep my head on a swivel. I should be okay," Smith said.
Along the route, 12s — say the celebration is long overdue.
"So proud. They did us proud," Day said.
"It's a hard road to get here, so enjoy it. Hopefully we'll be back again next year in Southern California," Smith said.
Transportation officials are urging fans to leave their cars at home and rely on mass transit. Downtown parking is expected to be extremely limited, with road closures and detours in place throughout the day.
"With this many people downtown, we do expect it will be a bit of a traffic mess," Cantrell said. "There will be road closures. There will be detours, there's no perfect way to execute a parade like this and so we are asking people to pack their patients and know it could take a while to get out," Cantrell said.
Officials are asking fans to plan ahead, be patient and expect delays both entering and leaving downtown as Seattle celebrates the Seahawks’ championship run.
MORE SEATTLE SEAHAWKS NEWS ON FOX 13 SEATTLE
Super Bowl concerts: List of performers, including WA's Benson Boone, schedule of events
Who's the girl with green hair at the Seattle Seahawks game?
Official barber of the Seattle Seahawks packs his clippers for Super Bowl 2026'
Kenneth Walker III is firing on all cylinders ahead of possible last game with Seattle Seahawks
Mike Macdonald expects Nick Emmanwori to play for Seattle Seahawks despite low-ankle sprain
To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.
Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.
The Source: