Chiefs Super Bowl Victory Parade Recap

After an amazing victory in Super Bowl 54 at the beginning of February in Miami against the San Francisco 49ers, the Kansas City Chiefs raised the Lombardi Trophy and became world champions for the second time in franchise history. As Tight End Travis Kelce would put it, the team fought for the right to party (a slogan now immortalized for the Chiefs) and won it for not only the team but Kansas City in general. Perhaps the only thing to unify the people of Kansas City on both sides of the border, besides barbeque, is a love for the Chiefs. With this in mind, winning the biggest game in football sealed the deal that a party atmosphere would enshroud the city across state lines.

Although the party truly began minutes after the win with fireworks, screaming, and tomahawk chopping permeating all across KC, the big show was slated to occur on Wednesday along Main Street and at Union Station, where the team would be given a celebratory hero’s welcome back to the city. For many, memories of the 2015 Kansas City Royals championship parade brought exciting premonitions for how this one would go, in addition to fears of long walks, bad views, and crowdedness. Furthermore, the forecast dictated that the parade day would be a rather bleak one, with overcast skies, cold temperatures in the twenties, and even some snow. 

Although these were all factors that came together on the morning of February 5th, Chiefs Kingdom was not to be deterred from celebrating this outstanding victory. Thousands of people showed up on the green outside the Liberty Memorial, at the foot of Union Station, along the sides of Main Street and more to greet the championship team and enjoy the festivities themselves. Even trees were fair game for supporting fans eager to get good views of the celebration. 

Before the main events began, however, many fans were treated to an unexpected police chase down the parade route as an intoxicated driver barrelled his way through the closed-off route. Thankfully, the man was apprehended and the whole incident seemed to only add to the crowd’s excitement. Overall, a notable five arrests were made; a low number for such a large event.

The parade itself began around 11:00 AM, with the buses and trucks full of Chiefs players, staff, cheerleaders, and executives cruising down Grand Boulevard to the delight of fans. Players and fans alike had a great time, with Mahomes throwing passes to a couple of eager fans (one who’s attempt was stopped short by a light pole) and downing a beer which he caught one-handed from a fan in the crowd. 

The ceremony itself at Union Station began around 1:30 PM with the voice of the Chiefs Mitch Holthus helping to hype up the crowd. This was followed by words from Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, Missouri Governor Mike Parson as well as former Royals player and Jackson County administrative assistant Frank White, who declared Wednesday, February 5th “Kansas City Chiefs Day” in the county. Clark Hunt shared passionate words on what the championship meant for the city and his family, as well as how the team got to be where it was, followed by additional remarks from Mark Donovan, and General Manager Brett Veach.

Of course, the real excitement came with the players. Reigning NFL MVP, now Super Bowl MVP, and champion quarterback Patrick Mahomes took the stage to the cheer of the crowd, and though hoarse and clearly under the influence, gave kind words to the fans, his teammates, and to coach Andy Reid in regards to the victory as well as the overall journey of the season despite its ups and downs. Chants of “Andy!” from all over the crowds finally yielded in Big Red taking the stage, where he was given a massive applause for his first Super Bowl win and years of hard work turning the Chiefs franchise around. In his final words, coach Reid promised that this wouldn’t be the last championship for the city, going as far as to say that everyone would be back at Union Station next year.

Probably the biggest highlight, however, was Travis Kelce’s speech. Despite his slips on the expletives and clear intoxication, Kelce made it clear that he loved the city and the fans. As a sendoff to Chiefs Kingdom, Coach Reid was allowed to bang the infamous war drum (usually reserved only for politicians or famous former Chiefs), leading the fans in the even more infamous tomahawk chop war cry which resonated throughout Kansas City. 

Despite painful feet and fatigue at the end of the day, the experience was a fantastic, fun, and memorable one that will go down in Kansas City and Chiefs history. No doubt the knowledge that this was only the second such victory in the team’s history (the first being in 1960) caused people to relish in the moment a little extra with worry in mind that this might be a once in a lifetime event. That said, with the insanely talented Patrick Mahomes as our quarterback, a team stacked with talent hungry for more victories like this, and coach Andy Reid at the helm of it all, their remarkable victory in Super Bowl 54 may simply be a premonition of the times to come.