San Francisco, California: Valkyries Championship Parade Set for Wednesday on the Embarcadero

San Francisco will hold a championship parade on Wednesday, November 4, for the Golden State Valkyries, who won the first WNBA title in team history on Halloween night. The team and Mayor Daniel Lurie announced the plan on Sunday, and by Monday morning banners were already hanging along the Embarcadero as waterfront businesses prepared for the crowds, KTVU reported.

The Valkyries beat the Atlanta Dream 68 to 63 in Game 7 of the WNBA Finals at Chase Center on Saturday, October 31, at the arena fans call Ballhalla. Gabby Williams, the Finals most valuable player, scored 30 points in the deciding game. The title came in the team's second season. The Valkyries are owned by the group that owns the Golden State Warriors, joined the WNBA last year, and were the first team to reach the WNBA Finals in their second season, KTVU reported. Mayor Lurie said the team has sold out every home game it has played.

The parade route

The parade runs on Wednesday from noon to 2 p.m. Fans can line up along the route from 9 a.m. The procession starts at the Ferry Building near Mission Street and heads south along the Embarcadero, ending at King and Second streets, near Oracle Park. The championship day starts across the Bay in Oakland, where the team holds a private celebration, and the players and staff then ride a ferry across the Bay to the Ferry Building for the noon start, KTVU reported.

Williams and Mayor Lurie will bang the Valkyries team drum together at the Ferry Building to launch the parade, a nod to the ritual that opened every game at Ballhalla. Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan will join the players, coaches and staff, along with city officials from across the Bay and Bay Area figures, the city said.

Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase said in the team announcement that the championship belongs to the fans as much as to the team, and that the players cannot wait to bring the 2026 WNBA championship trophy to them. Team president Jess Smith said Bay Area fans backed the team before it had a name or any players, and that the parade is the team's chance to show up for them, according to the city announcement.

Closures and transit on Wednesday

The city urged fans to take public transit. BART will run extra trains and add staffing and security, and riders can use the Embarcadero or Montgomery stations and walk to the route. Muni F and N line service along the Embarcadero will be suspended from about 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., with the 15 Bayview Hunters Point Express bus covering the stops on Second Street, the city said.

Street closures start early. Eastbound King Street and the northbound Embarcadero between Third Street and Broadway, plus Market Street between Drumm and Steuart streets, close from 12:01 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday. A second set of closures, including the southbound Embarcadero and westbound King Street and parts of Mission, Howard, Folsom, Harrison, Bryant, Brannan and Townsend streets near the waterfront, runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Autonomous vehicle operations will be restricted around the route from 12:01 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Waterfront businesses expect thousands of spectators. The Hi-Dive bar will open at 9 a.m. with brunch and lunch specials and front row seats to the parade, its manager Christal Davies told KTVU, and Perry restaurant advised customers to book tables in advance. Full parade information is posted at valkyries.com/playoffs, and the city closure and transit details are posted at sf.gov.