Exactly 16 years ago on June 17, 2008—or “6/17 Day,” if you will—the Boston Celtics last won the NBA Championship. As 6/17 rolled around again this year, the guys in green did it again. The Boston Celtics bested the Dallas Mavericks four games to one to become the 2024 NBA Champions.
That means it’s time for a storied Boston tradition: A duck boat parade.
What day will the Celtics parade be?
The signature Rolling Rally returns to Boston on Friday, June 21, 2024, beginning at 11am in front of the TD Garden, Mayor Michelle Wu announced Tuesday morning. The parade will run about 90 minutes to Boylston Street by the Hynes Convention Center.
What is the parade route?
From TD Garden, the duck boat parade will travel on Causeway Street passing City Hall Plaza and Boston Common on Tremont Street before ending on Boylston Street by the Hynes Convention Center. Check out this map:
What streets are closed for the Celtics parade?
Causeway, Staniford, Cambridge, Tremont and Boylston streets are closed to traffic and parking is restricted on both sides of each street for the parade. Other parking restrictions include many streets around Copley Square. Check out the full list of parking restrictions and street closures via the City of Boston, and note the tow zones on the map above.
How many titles do the Boston Celtics have?
This is Banner 18, baby. Raising this latest championship banner has felt like a long time coming for many Celtics fans, whose team was dominant in the 1980s when it was led by Larry Bird; and in the late-1950s and ’60s when Bill Russell was team leader.
Since the Celtics drafted Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum in 2016 and 2017, respectively, the goal has been raising Banner 18. The Celtics have been close before, last making the NBA Finals in 2022. Shrewd moves ahead of this season by Brad Stevens, the Celtics’ president of basketball operations, to acquire Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis proved to be the missing pieces. Role players Al Horford and Payton Pritchard made pivotal contributions to the Celtics’ success throughout the playoffs.
How to watch the 2024 championship parade at home
Luckily, this week’s dangerously hot and humid weather will be moving out of Boston as the duck boats roll in. (We’re talkin’ like, 90 degrees, rather than 95-plus.) The forecast is expected to be sunny and warm on Friday morning with the possibility of afternoon showers.
If you’re unable to attend the Rolling Rally in person on Friday for any reason, you can still catch the festivities on television. NBC Sports Boston and NBC10 Boston will broadcast and stream the celebration live on TV and online beginning early on Friday morning.