The Americas

After a 52-year championship drought, the city of Cleveland was finally able to celebrate a national sporting victory after the Cleveland Cavaliers clenched the NBA title this week.

Cleveland Cavaliers.

Cleveland Cavaliers at the Quicken Loans Arena. Image by Erik Drost

The city responded with an epic parade, drawing a crowd of 1.3 million Clevelanders. People were so excited to see the parade firsthand that many people decided to sleep on the sidewalk to secure a prime viewing spot for the parade.

The 1.3-mile parade route wound through the city streets, beginning outside the Cavs home, the Quicken Loans Arena and then up East Ninth Street before ending at Mall B. The parade featured 60 floats and a truck that showered the crowd with confetti. The procession took a staggering four hours, allowing fans to get as much enjoyment as possible out of this monumental day for the city. People packed every corner, hung out of windows, and stood on rooftops just to see LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin love, and the rest of the Cavaliers team with their own eyes. Every hotel room in the city was sold out the day before the parade.

It was a welcome moment of joy in Cleveland, a city that has endured many sporting heartbreaks in the past 50 years. James and his teammates are already vowing to defend the title next season.