Even after a World Series victory, the good news just keeps coming for the Atlanta Braves and the team’s home city. Despite a dreary past week, the weather is expected to cooperate Friday for the world champions’ celebratory parade.
Friday’s forecast calls for a partly cloudy, mild day with a high temperature around 55 degrees, Channel 2 Action News chief meteorologist Glenn Burns said.
It’s likely to be cold in the morning, with more clouds than sun and a low of 40 around 7 a.m. Keeping warm should be an easy task for early arrivers, though, with a crowd of more than a million Braves fans expected to throng the parade route.
It will begin at noon, when the temperature is expected to be around 50 degrees. The mercury will continue to climb as the celebration moves north on Peachtree Street and eventually onto I-75 on its way to Cobb County.
Traffic, on the other hand, is expected to be intense. Huge crowds, road closures and school holidays in several metro districts will add to the crush of people descending on both Atlanta and The Battery outside Truist Park.
During a news conference Wednesday, Atlanta police officials encouraged Braves fans to take MARTA to and from the parade since parking will be limited and surrounding streets will be blocked off by 11 a.m. “Early arrival is strongly suggested,” officials said Thursday.
MARTA’s Five Points transit station, the rail system’s central hub, is just one block away from the route’s starting point at the intersection of Peachtree and Marietta streets downtown.
The route then moves north on Peachtree toward Midtown, mirroring MARTA’s red and gold lines. MARTA stations located directly on the parade route include Peachtree Center, Civic Center, North Avenue and Midtown. The Arts Center station is also a few walkable blocks from the Atlanta parade’s endpoint at Peachtree and 10th streets.
There are many independently owned parking lots and decks along the parade route, but finding a spot could be difficult. Restaurants and sports bars in the area are also likely to be jammed.
After a brief ride on I-75 North, the festivities will resume around 2 p.m. at the intersection of Cobb and Riverwood parkways.
The procession will move north on Cobb Parkway past Cumberland Mall and the Cobb Galleria Centre to The Battery, where the celebration will continue at the Braves’ home ballpark. Performances are planned by Atlanta artists Ludacris and Big Boi.
Cobb Parkway will close at 10 a.m. between Riverwood Parkway and Akers Mill Road, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation. At 11 a.m., the closure will extend north on Cobb Parkway all the way to I-285. At noon, the road will close from Riverside Parkway south to Cumberland Boulevard. On I-285, exits 19 and 20 for Cobb Parkway will each close at noon.
All roads and exits are expected to reopen by 5 p.m. after the parade route is swept, GDOT said.
Coverage of the parade can be seen locally on WSB, which will broadcast live throughout the day and will livestream on wsbtv.com. Regionally, Bally Sports South and Bally Sports Southeast will begin their coverage at 11:30 a.m.
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