Boston braces for a million-strong crowd at Patriots' victory parade

[February 05, 2019]  BOSTON (Reuters) - More than 1 million people are expected to pack into the streets of Boston on Tuesday to celebrate the New England Patriots' record-tying sixth Super Bowl win.

A parade of World War Two-era amphibious duck boats will carry players including quarterback Tom Brady, tight end Rob Gronkowski and cornerback Stephon Gilmore, through the crowds celebrating the team's 13-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams.

Unseasonably warm weather -- with a forecast high of 58 Fahrenheit (14.4 Celsius) -- is likely to swell crowd sizes at the city's 12th professional sports championship parade since 2001, Mayor Marty Walsh told reporters on Monday.

"We're anticipating the biggest turnout you could possibly have when you think about public safety," Walsh said. He noted that prior championship parades have drawn 500,000 to 1 million fans, with smaller numbers coming in winters like that of the team's 2015 Super Bowl win when Boston streets got some 9 feet (2.7 m) of snow.

New England Patriots' Julian Edelman celebrates with the Vince Lombardi trophy after winning the Super Bowl LIII. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo

The parade will kick off at 11 a.m. EST (1600 GMT) at Boston's Prudential Tower and roll down Boylston Street to City Hall.

(Reporting by Scott Malone; Editing by Tom Brown)

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