Championship parades have brought some of BART’s biggest crowds

The Bay shows up for its teams, and BART gets the fans to where the party’s happening.  

This Wednesday will be no exception as the Golden State Valkyries celebrate their historic WNBA championship with a parade along San Francisco’s Embarcadero.  

It’s the latest in a long line of Bay Area sports celebrations that have brought some of BART’s biggest crowds to the system. In fact, six of our top ten historic ridership days have been championship parades (the other days stemmed from 2016 Super Bowl events and a 2013 Bay Bridge closure). Ready for a quick jaunt through Bay Area history, as seen through BART ridership? 

BART’s all-time single-day ridership record was set on October 31, 2012, when 568,061 exits were recorded. That was the day of the San Francisco Giants’ World Series victory parade. Ridership was 40% higher than a typical Wednesday in October. 

Other championship celebrations have drawn enormous crowds, too. The June 19, 2015, Golden State Warriors championship parade and rally brought 548,076 exits, making it the second-busiest day in BART history. The Giants’ 2010 and 2014 championship parades also landed in the top 10, as did the Warriors’ 2018 championship parade, with 493,927 exits. 

It’s not just parades that pack BART trains. Super Bowl 50 festivities in San Francisco contributed to three days in the historical top 10, including February 5, 2016, when BART recorded 528,679 exits. 

Big celebrations are a reminder of what BART does best: moving lots of people through the Bay Area, especially when driving would mean battling traffic, hunting for parking, and missing the fun. 

For Wednesday’s Valkyries championship parade, BART will run extra trains, longer trains, and add staff and security to accommodate crowds. Fans can take BART to Embarcadero or Montgomery stations and walk to the parade route. To reach the south end of the parade, riders can also take BART to Powell Street Station and transfer to Muni’s T Third Street line at Union Square Station. Take a southbound train toward Sunnydale to 4th and King, then walk to 2nd and King. 

Find more guidance here and plan your trip using BART’s Trip Planner.