Today Is Villanova’s Championship Parade

Villanova basketball fans view a broadcast of the national championship between Villanova and North Carolina, Monday, April 4th, in Villanova, Pa.

Today is the championship parade for the Villanova Wildcats men’s basketball team in Center City Philadelphia. Here’s what you need to know:

As we’ve reported previously, the event starts at 1 p.m., and will run from 20th and Market streets to Dilworth Park in Center City. There will be a rally at Dilworth Park at the end of the parade. University President Rev. Peter Donohue, head coach Jay Wright, and members of team are expected to speak at the rally.

Starting at 11 a.m., Market Street between 15th and 23rd streets will be closed, as will 15th Street from JFK Boulevard to Chestnut Street. Cross traffic on Market Street, from 16th to 22nd streets, will be closed prior to the parade and will resume after the parade passes and streets are cleared. Parking along the parade route is prohibited, and drivers in the area should expect to take detours. 

If you’re coming into town for the parade, SEPTA has your back.

Extra capacity will be added to the Norristown High Speed Line, the Market-Frankford Line and the Broad Street Line. The NHSL has stops in Radnor, on Villanova’s campus and by Villanova Stadium.

Regional Rail is also an option, and those traveling from Villanova or surrounding Main Line communities can take the Paoli/Thorndale Line, which runs every 30 minutes.
Bus Routes 2, 4, 7, 16, 17, 21, 31, 32, 33, 38, 44, 62, 124 and 125 will all be detoured around City Hall and Dilworth Park from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. this Friday.

Also, the 15th street MFL station and the City Hall BSL station are expected to remain open, but may be bypassed if they get too crowded. In that case, SEPTA is advising passengers to use the 13th Street MFL station and the Walnut-Locust BSL station. The announcements for this will be made on the trains. Those using Trolley routes 10, 11, 13, 34 and 36 should also be ready for service announcements about station closures.

The Wildcats’ championship is their first since 1985.