Florida Panthers fans can celebrate the team’s Stanley Cup win with a parade Sunday in Fort Lauderdale.
According to a Panthers spokeswoman, the parade will be at 11 a.m. Sunday along a route on State Road A1A going about 2 mph. It will start at Riomar Street and conclude by Southeast Fifth Street. The entire team is expected to ride in the parade.
The Panthers said more information about parking and parade plans will be released “in the coming days and fans should stay tuned to FloridaPanthers.com/PlayoffCentral.” (Ahead of Sunday’s festivities, the Panthers celebrated in Fort Lauderdale beach on Tuesday, drawing cheers from fans.)
A Fort Lauderdale City Hall spokeswoman Arlene Borenstein said details for parking along the parade route — and the cost — is expected to come later in the week, but it has been decided “that parking will have to be paid parking.”
Stacy Ritter, president and CEO of Visit Lauderdale, Broward’s tourism promotion arm, was rejoicing Tuesday, anticipating the Stanley Cup win could boost local tourism. Her office has a two-season contract with the Panthers, which started this season, to brand “Visit Lauderdale” on the hockey helmets. Now, with the win, cars in the parade procession Sunday will also be branded “Visit Lauderdale” in anticipation of national visibility.
“There will be more eyes on greater Fort Lauderdale, no question about it,” she said. “When they play next season, everybody will want to see them.”
On Tuesday, with celebrations already starting in the morning at the famed Elbo Room’s balcony, the Stanley Cup was used to drop Bud Light and Michelob Ultra to open-mouthed fans below.
State Sen. Lauren Book, D-Davie, posted on social media that she and Sen. Jason Pizzo, D-Hollywood, sent a letter to the governor Tuesday asking him to declare Sunday as Florida Panthers Day to coincide “with the day the team will celebrate their historic victory with the devoted fans of Broward County.”
Lisa J. Huriash can be reached at lhuriash@sunsentinel.com. Follow on X, formerly Twitter, @LisaHuriash
