The Golden State Valkyries are celebrating their first Women’s National Basketball Association championship this week with a victory parade in San Francisco, as KQED reported.
The Valkyries secured the title in their second season of existence—during the WNBA's 30th year—by defeating the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in Game 7 on Halloween night. Valkyries forward Gabby Williams earned MVP honors after scoring 28 of her points in the second half of the decisive game. Following the victory, the city of San Francisco scheduled an official championship parade for Wednesday, Nov. 4.
According to city officials, the parade is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. at the Ferry Building. The procession will move along the northbound side of The Embarcadero toward Second Street, finishing at 2 p.m. The Valkyries announced via Instagram that fans wanting to secure spots along the route can begin lining up at 9 a.m. on the bay side of The Embarcadero between Mission Street and Second Street. Team members have previously encouraged fans to take time off work for daytime events, with guard Veronica Burton jokingly advising fans to call in sick before an earlier morning game.
For San Jose residents and South Bay basketball fans planning to attend the festivities, Caltrain offers direct transit options to San Francisco. The rail agency announced it will operate two additional trains on Wednesday to accommodate crowd movement. A special northbound train will depart San José Diridon Station at 9:13 a.m., delivering fans north in time for the noon parade start. Following the conclusion of the event at 2 p.m., an additional southbound train will depart the San Francisco Caltrain station at 2:40 p.m.
To address potential overcrowding on the tracks, Caltrain confirmed that express train 514 and limited train 416 will both run as local trains. According to the agency's notice, train 514 will depart San Francisco at 3:10 p.m., while train 416 will leave at 3:40 p.m. Fans arriving at the San Francisco Caltrain station at Fourth and King streets will end up just steps away from the end of the parade route at Second and King streets. Passengers are advised to double-check train schedules prior to departing.
Alternative regional transit routes are also available for travelers across the Peninsula. SamTrans reported that fans can use Route 292 or Route ECR, which travels along El Camino Real to Millbrae Station, where riders can transfer directly to Caltrain. Additionally, SamTrans lines serve downtown San Francisco, leaving passengers at the Salesforce Transit Center, which is a 10- to 15-minute walk from the Ferry Building.
Within San Francisco, public transportation options connecting to the parade route include BART and Muni. Passengers taking BART can disembark at Embarcadero Station or Montgomery Street Station, which sit four minutes and eight minutes on foot from the Ferry Building, respectively. Riders can also exit BART at Powell Street Station and transfer at Union Square Station to Muni’s southbound T Third train, taking it to Fourth and King streets near the end of the parade. Muni light rail lines J Church, N Judah, K Ingleside, L Taraval, and M Ocean View all service Embarcadero Station. SFMTA has cautioned that public transit lines will experience service changes throughout the day.
Attendees should also prepare for event logistics and local weather. The National Weather Service forecasts sunny skies on Wednesday with a high temperature of 62 degrees. Because the parade route follows the waterfront, attendees are advised to dress in layers while bringing sunscreen and wearing Valkyries purple.
Drivers and rideshare users should expect significant vehicle traffic and road closures around the waterfront. SFMTA is placing specific restrictions on autonomous self-driving vehicle services like Waymo from 12:01 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, following past municipal disruptions where self-driving vehicles became stranded in dense event traffic. Designated pickup and drop-off zones have been established for autonomous vehicles, while several streets near The Embarcadero will remain closed to general traffic throughout the daytime hours.
