The Boston Red Sox have won their fourth World Series in the past 15 years and fans are expected to flock to the streets for another duck boat parade to celebrate the victory when the Red Sox get back home. The parade will be held on Halloween in Boston, team officials say.
Red Sox President Sam Kennedy told WBZ-TV, the parade will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, October 31. Check back for exact details about the parade later, as we will be updating this post as information is released. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said plans for the victory celebration will be finalized Monday.
If Boston officials follow similar plans from the past three World Series victories, the parade will likely follow the same route from Fenway Park down Boylston Street to the Charles River on amphibious duck boats. Mayor Marty Walsh tweeted about the parade, saying, “Fire up the duck boats.”
Fire up the Duck Boats for the #WorldSeries Champions — congratulations @RedSox, we can’t wait to welcome you home! #DoDamage #DamageDone
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker added, “Congratulations to the #WorldSeries Champion Boston #RedSox! What a team. What a run. Thanks for the ride, all year long. Who’s ready for a duck boat parade? #DamageDone”
The Boston Transportation Department tweeted congratulations to the Red Sox and said, “Stay tuned for all your parade details!!”
WBZ-TV meteorologist Jacob Wycoff tweeted, “Tuesday or Wednesday’s weather looks very nice for a @redsox parade!” Wednesday will be about 60 degrees with just a 10 percent chance of rain.
The Red Sox will be arriving back in Boston Monday night, according to NESN.
Led by first-year manager and 2004 World Series champion Alex Cora, the Red Sox had one of their best seasons in team history, winning 108 games during the regular season. Boston then beat its hated rival, the New York Yankees, in four games in the ALDS. In the ALCS, the Red Sox took down the reigning World Series champions, the Houston Astros, avenging a playoff defeat last year. The Red Sox then defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in LA in five games. Steve Pearce won the World Series MVP award. The 35-year-old Florida native, who has Massachusetts roots, grew up rooting for the Boston Red Sox.
Here’s what we know about past parades and what we can expect this year:
The Parade Will Continue the Duck Boat Tradition
The duck boat rolling rally tradition dates back to 2002, when it was first used after the New England Patriots beat the St. Louis Rams in the Super Bowl, according to the Boston Herald. In the years between that parade and the upcoming one, all four major sports teams in Boston have held duck boat celebrations. There have now been 11 championships in Boston since 2000. The Patriots have won five Super Bowl titles, the Red Sox have won three and the Celtics and Bruins have each won one title.
In 2004, 3.2 million people attended the parade after the Red Sox won their first World Series in 86 years, according to Boston.com. The Red Sox used a duck boat rolling rally in 2004, with fans lining the streets to salute the champions. The parade was held on Saturday, October 30, three days after the World Series win.
In 2007, the parade was also held on October 30, two days after the Red Sox victory.
In 2013, the Red Sox parade was held on Saturday, November 2, at 10 a.m., three days after Boston clinched the World Series victory against the St. Louis Cardinals at home. The parade began at Fenway Park, with 25 duck boats carrying members of the team, ownership group and front office throughout the city. During the parade, the duck boats stopped at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, where the team paid tribute to the victims of the April bombing.
About 2 million fans attended the 2013 parade, according to Boston.com. After the 2013 parade, pitcher Jake Peavy bought one of the duck boats used in the rally.
Previous Parades Have Started at Fenway & Ended in the Charles River
The Boston Red Sox parade route starting at 10am #WorldSeriesChamps http://t.co/t4jToRObjG
If the parade route follows the same 3.8-mile path as previous celebrations, then it will begin with the Red Sox boarding duck boats at Fenway Park. The parade then will head down Boylston Street, starting at Ipswich Street, turn left on Tremont, left onto Cambridge Street, right on Blossom Street and then into the Charles River near the Museum of Science.
During previous parades, city officials encouraged fans to take public transportation as parking restrictions will be in place and no vehicle traffic will be allowed on the parade route. Random bag checks can be expected and public drinking is not allowed.
PRESENTING YOUR 2018 #WORLDSERIES CHAMPS!
The parades are mostly paid for by corporate sponsors. In 2011, when the Bruins won the Stanley Cup, companies paid up to $50,000 to sponsor the ducks to help defray the city of Boston’s costs, according to Boston.com. The ducks are owned by Boston Duck Tours, who have provided them to teams at no cost in the past.
In 2008, the Boston Celtics parade cost the city $360,000. Then city-spokesperson Dot Joyce told Boston.com in 2013, the sponsorship cover, “a lot of the celebration, but not the entire celebration. We end up paying for whatever we can’t cover through sponsorship.”
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