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After a 53-year drought, the New York Knicks won the 2026 NBA Finals defeating the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5, with Jalen Brunson named NBA Finals MVP. The feelings of excitement and joy are felt throughout New York City, especially for the first-ever championship parade for the team (there were no parades in 1970 or 1973).

On Thursday (June 18), the New York Knicks ticker-tape parade takes place on Lower Manhattan, as it travels north on Broadway through the “Canyon of Heroes.” It ends at New York City Hall with a ceremony, in which the team receives the keys to the city from Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

How to Watch 2026 NY Knicks Championship Parade Online, At a Glance:

Which Celebrities Are Making Appearances During 2026 NY Knicks Championship Parade?

It’s likely there may be a number of other celebrities and famous recording artists in attendance during the championship parade, such as NY Knicks fans Spike Lee, Timothée Chalamet, 50 Cent, Fat Joe, Ben Stiller, Busta Rhymes, Alicia Keys, Tracy Morgan, Ice Spice, Cardi B, Michael J. Fox, Mariska Hargitay, Anne Hathaway and others. Who knows? Maybe even Haim and Taylor Swift might make an appearance for the parade.

When Does 2026 NY Knicks Championship Parade Start?

The NY Knicks parade starts at 10 a.m. ET/7 a.m. PT and airs across local New York channels, including NBC 4 New York, FOX 5 NY, ABC7NY and CBS 2 New York. TV coverage begins at 9 a.m. ET/6 a.m. PT.

Where to Watch 2026 NY Knicks Championship Parade Online for Free

Cord-cutters have a few ways to watch the Knicks ticker-tape parade online, especially for free. Online streaming platforms, like DirecTV, Hulu + Live TV and others offer free trials.

You can livestream the Knicks parade on NBC 4 New York, FOX 5 NY, ABC7NY and CBS 2 New York with DirecTV’s “Entertainment” package, which is comprehensive with more than 90 channels. For a limited time, new subscribers can get DirecTV for just $59.99 for the first month of service (reg. $89.99 per month) with DirecTV’s current deals.

The streamer offers the “MyNews Genre Pack” with over 10 news channels, like NBC, FOX, ABC and CBS, as well as CNN, MS Now, FOX News and others. It goes for $39.99 per month.

You can stream up to three devices with a subscription to DirecTV, as well as get unlimited cloud DVR to record your favorite TV shows to watch back on demand. Sign up for a five-day free trial to start watching online.

Want to watch the Knicks parade outside of New York City? ExpressVPN is a virtual private network that allows you to watch different broadcasts from various cities.

For example: If you’re a New Yorker and Knicks fan, but you live in Los Angeles, then you can still watch the Knicks championship parade live on NBC 4 New York, FOX 5 NY, ABC7NY or CBS 2 New York — even if you’re in Southern California.

Just launch the ExpressVPN app on your smartphone, laptop, streaming device or web browser (via extension), set your location to New York, and then fire up one of the listed streaming services to start watching. You’ll be able to watch local New York TV channels even if you’re outside of the greater metro area with prices starting at $2.79 per month for 28 months. Learn more about ExpressVPN here.

A subscription to Sling Orange & Blue — which comes with NBC 4 New York, FOX 5 NY and ABC7NY, and goes for $60.99 per month — gets you access to more than 50 live TV, local and cable channels. The streaming service includes free cloud DVR with up to 50 hours of storage, compatibility with more than 20 of the top streaming services, like Apple TV, Fire TV, Google TV, Roku and others, and access to over 600 free additional channels.

Please note: Prices and channel availability depend on your local TV market. You can learn more about Sling TV here.

If you don’t already have a Hulu + Live TV subscription, the streamer offers a free trial that’ll get you your first three days free to access NBC 4 New York, FOX 5 NY, ABC7NY and CBS 2 New York. Once the free trial is over, you’ll be charged the regular subscription fee, which starts at $89.99 per month. For even more content, Hulu + Live TV bundles with Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN Unlimited at no extra cost to watch even more exclusive and original sporting events and programming.

In the meantime, 2026 New York Knicks Championship Parade is available to watch on NBC 4 New York, FOX 5 NY, ABC7NY and CBS 2 New York via DirecTV, on Thursday (June 18).

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