Thousands of Los Angeles Dodgers fans packed the streets of downtown Los Angeles to see the 2024 World Series champions.
How big was that sea of Dodger blue Friday in downtown Los Angeles?
About 200,000 people attended the championship parade late Friday morning that featured the World Series champs on open top double-decker buses, the city of Los Angeles said in a news release. The parade started at City Hall and headed south on Spring Street, west on First Street, south on Grand Avenue and west on Fifth Street, ending in the area of Fifth and Flower streets.
As the buses turned onto the parade route, a roar swelled in the canyon of fans that lined both sides of the street. Some waved giant blue LA flags as team members passed and showed off the World Series trophy sparkling in the Southern California sun.
Some fans staked out a spot along the route well before dawn.
"An estimated more than 200,000 people attended the Dodgers Championship Parade in Downtown Los Angeles, with many heeding local leaders’ calls to take Metro and alleviate vehicle traffic," the city said in its news release. "The parade was conducted without interruptions. All Downtown streets have reopened."
The LAPD said Saturday morning that 12 arrests were reported in connection with the celebration. Six involving commercial burglary, four were for receiving stolen property and two were due to failure to disperse, the agency said.
LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 1, 2024 – – Fans get into the spirit in the early morning, hours before the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate their World Series win traveling in a parade route along 5th Street in downtown Los Angeles on November 1, 2024. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Getty Images
LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 1, 2024 – – Fans wait in the early morning hours before the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate their World Series win traveling in a parade route along 5th Street in downtown Los Angeles on November 1, 2024. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 1, 2024 – – Fans get into the spirit in the early morning, hours before the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate their World Series win traveling in a parade route along 5th Street in downtown Los Angeles on November 1, 2024. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 01: Fans line up along 1st Street as law enforcement officers patrol the route ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers 2024 World Series Championship parade on November 01, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 01: Fans hold signs as they line up along the route ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers 2024 World Series Championship parade on November 01, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 01: A fan in a Mister Cartoon Dodgers mask is seen along the route ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers 2024 World Series Championship parade on November 01, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
A Los Angeles Dodgers fan holds up a sign saying “Freeman for President.”
Nov 1, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; A fan holds up their dog in a 1988 World Series hat before the 2024 World Series championship parade near Los Angeles City Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Nov 1, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Fans arrive to support the Los Angeles Dodgers before the 2024 World Series championship parade near Los Angeles City Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Nov 1, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; A memorial to former Los Angeles Dodger Fernando Valenzuela grows at the entrance to Dodger stadium. The Dodgers are celebrating their World Series win with a parade and celebration at the stadium. The celebration also falls on the birthday of Valenzuela. Mandatory Credit: Sandy Hooper-USA TODAY via Imagn Images
Nov 1, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; A fan waves a flag to support the Los Angeles Dodgers before the 2024 World Series championship parade near Los Angeles City Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 01: Enrique Hernández #8 of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks on from atop a bus during the Los Angeles Dodgers World Series Celebration at Dodger Stadium on Friday, November 1, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Emma Sharon/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Dodger fans leave a tribute to former Dodgers pitcher and broadcaster Fernando Valenzuela along the parade route. (Zoe Howes, NBC4 Intern)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 01: A general view of a memorial on the pitcher’s mound in honor of former Los Angeles Dodgers player Fernando Valenzuela during the 2024 World Series Celebration Show at Dodger Stadium on November 01, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Los Angeles, CA – November 01: Dodgers players and fans celebrate their World Series Championship win as they kick off a parade at Gloria Molina Grand Park on Spring Street in front of Los Angeles City Hall in Los Angeles City Hall in Los Angeles Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. The Dodgers travel atop double-decker buses down First Street. The Los Angeles Dodgers won their 8th championship in franchise history with a 7-6 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 5 of the World Series. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
The parade was followed by a ticketed celebration with players and fans at Dodger Stadium.
"Look at that. It's incredible," an emotional Clayton Kershaw said. "I've never gotten to experience anything like this, and it makes everything worth it."
Adding to an emotional day, the parade is on what would have been the 64th birthday of legendary Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, who died Oct. 22.
The scene in downtown Los Angeles and at Dodger Stadium was much different than the last time the Dodgers ascended to the pinnacle of Major League Baseball during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. There was no parade to celebrate that championship.
Shohei Ohtani needed no interpreter to thank fans at Dodger Stadium during their World Series championship celebration on Friday, Nov, 1, 2024.
