The streets of downtown Orlando are set to be purple as the Orlando Pride, the city's NWSL team, celebrates with a championship parade this afternoon. This festive event comes after the Pride clinched a historic victory, marking them the first professional sports team from Orlando to win a major-league trophy.
According to WESH, the parade will commence at 4:30 p.m., navigate along Orange Avenue from Central Boulevard, and finish at Orlando City Hall. The event will feature the victorious Pride players, special guests, and Walt Disney World's Main Street Philharmonic.
Aiming to minimize traffic disruptions, local officials are encouraging parade-goers to use public transportation options. Attendees can hop on SunRail via the Church Street or LYNX Central stations, ride the LYNX, or even navigate by bike or scooter to join the celebration. Meanwhile, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer expressed his pride in the team, stating in an interview, as reported by ClickOrlando, "Throughout the season, the @ORLPride inspired our city with their skill, passion and teamwork."
After the parade, a ceremony is slated to take place at City Hall, running from 5 to 5:45 p.m., where fans can look at the NWSL Championship trophy for the first time. "This victory is not just for the Orlando Pride, it's for the entire city," Mayor Dyer said, per WESH. He continued, enunciating the widespread community support, "Our community has stood behind this team every step of the way, and we can’t wait to show them how much we appreciate their hard work and dedication."
