Where Is the Valkyries Official Championship Parade on Wednesday — and How Can You Be There?

In only their second season of existence — and in the year the Women’s National Basketball Association league turns 30, no less — the Golden State Valkyries have already become champions. And the Bay Area is, naturally, throwing a parade this week to celebrate.

In a nail-biting Game 7 against the Atlanta Dream on Halloween night, the Valkyries pulled through with 68-63 — with special honors for forward and MVP Gabby Williams, who scored 28 of those points in the second half. 

And while the Bay Area’s passionate fanbase has already begun celebrating, an official parade by the city of San Francisco is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 4. 

Keep reading to learn about what to expect during the Valkyries championship parade this week. Keep in mind: the ceremony starts at noon — and while we could never endorse deception, this seems like a good time to mention the previous guidance of Valkyries’ Veronica Burton before Game 6’s infamous 9:30 a.m. start time: “Call in sick. I recommend it.”

According to city officials, the Valkyries parade will start at the Ferry Building at 12 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 4.

The parade will then travel alongside the northbound side of The Embarcadero to Second Street until 2 p.m. 

Fans can begin to line up along the parade route at 9 a.m., “on the bay side of Embarcadero from Mission Street to 2nd Street,” according to the Valkyries’ Instagram.

According to the National Weather Service, Wednesday will be a sunny day with a high of 62. 

So while you should definitely be sporting the signature Valkyries purple, be sure to have layers (but also sunscreen) on you, since this parade will be along the water on a November afternoon.

You can plan your route accordingly using BART or SFMTA’s Trip Planner.

You can take BART to Embarcadero or Montgomery stations. Afterward, it will be a 4- or 8-minute walk, respectively, to the Ferry Building.

You could also take BART to Powell Street Station and then transfer to Muni’s T Third trains at Union Square Station. You would take a Southbound T Line train heading toward Sunnydale to Fourth and King — and then a short 8-minute walk to Second and King.

If you want to use Muni, you can take the J Church, N Judah, K Ingleside, L Taraval, M Ocean View lines to Embarcadero Station.

To get to a stop at the beginning half of the parade, you can head to:

• 1 California
• 5R Fulton Rapid
• 7 Haight/Noriega
• 9R San Bruno Rapid
• 12 Folsom/Pacific
• 14 Mission
• 14R Mission Rapid
• 38 Geary
• 38R Geary Rapid

To get a stop at the end of the parade, you can head to:

• T Third Street
• 8 Bayshore — by exiting the bus at Third Street and Bryant Street, then walking a few blocks south to King Street
• 15 Bayview Hunters Point Express
• 30 Stockton
• 45 Union/Stockton

SFMTA has warned that there will be transit service changes on the day of the parade — and you can get the most up-to-date information on its website.

Self-driving cars like Waymos can get stuck during events that are expected to draw a lot of traffic and people — notably after this year’s Fourth of July celebrations. 

Accordingly, they are subject to some limitations that aren’t usually seen for rideshare services like Uber or Lyft. The SFMTA has closed off some roads to services like Waymo on Wednesday from 12:01 a.m. until 6:00 p.m., including:

• On The Embarcadero south of Battery Street
• In the Financial District, streets south of Washington Street and east of Battery Street
• In the South of Market, streets east of First Street
• In South Beach:

Autonomous vehicle pick-up and drop-off are designated to these areas:

• Battery Street between the Embarcadero and Market Street
• First Street between Market and Harrison streets
• Third Street between Folsom and Brannan streets
• Fourth Street between Harrison and Townsend streets

If you need to be in the area on Wednesday, expect crowds and heavy traffic. According to SFMTA’s advisory page, the following streets will be closed at these times:

• Eastbound King Street and Northbound Embarcadero between Third and King streets and Broadway and Embarcadero: 12:01 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Southbound Embarcadero and Westbound King Street between Broadway and Embarcadero and Third and King: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Washington Street between Drumm Street and the Embarcadero, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Market Street between Drumm and Steuart streets: 12:01 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Steuart Street between Market Street and southerly terminus: 12:01 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Spear Street between Market Street and southerly terminus: 12:01 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Mission, Howard, Folsom, Harrison and Bryant streets between Main Street and the Embarcadero: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Brannan Street between Second Street and the Embarcadero (with local access maintained to Delancey Street): 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Townsend Street, between Third Street and the Embarcadero: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Second Street between Brannan and King streets: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.