CNN
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After almost a year of hard work, it’s time for the Philadelphia Eagles and their adoring fans to enjoy the moment.
Following their dominant 40-22 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday, the Eagles held their celebratory open-air bus parade through the streets of Philadelphia on Friday.
Although the parade officially began at 11 a.m. ET, footage on the NFL’s official X account showed huge crowds of people already lining the streets at 7 a.m. ET. All ages were able to get involved, too, as all schools were closed Friday following an announcement on the official X account of the School District of Philadelphia.
The tour saw Eagles players and staff make their way from Lincoln Financial Field to the famous steps in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art in green buses with “World Champions,” “Thank you fans” and “Go Birds” emblazoned on the side.
With the city prepared to welcome a million people, fans lined the streets of the City of Brotherly Love to honor their victorious players, cheering them on as the stars of the team – and owner Jeffrey Lurie – paraded the Lombardi Trophy aloft in celebration.
Leading the festivities was quarterback and Super Bowl LIX MVP Jalen Hurts, who wore a hoodie saying “Love, Hurts” – particularly fitting on Valentine’s Day – and smoked a cigar.
Star running back Saquon Barkley – who enjoyed a historic debut season with the Eagles – took a more personal touch, jumping off his bus at one point to high five and hug some of the fans lining the street.
Barkley, who was carrying a case of beer onto the bus because he needed some “liquid courage,” told CNN affiliate WPVI that the parade is the “stuff you dream about as a kid.”
According to NBC Sports Philadelphia, Barkley gifted each of the team’s offensive linemen a truck full of Bud Light beer following the title victory, with the Bud Light X account rebranding to “Bird Light” to commemorate Friday’s parade.
The team’s mascot – Swoop – also played a pivotal role in the parade, standing front and center of the first vehicle in the convoy, arms flapping as the Eagles made their way along the streets. Even former Eagles star Jason Kelce was in attendance to join in the celebrations.
As has become tradition in Philly sports celebrations, there were fans climbing lampposts and trees in an attempt to get a better vantage point to see their favorite players.
Some fans chose to make the day even more special, with two diehard supporters telling local reporter Steve Keeley that they will get married on Ben Franklin Parkway as soon as the bus goes past them.
The parade culminated in a ceremony on the museum’s steps, which was kicked off by a rousing speech from Governor Josh Shapiro.
“This is a team that brought us together,” Shapiro said to a sea of cheering fans. “This is a team that helped Northeast Philly heal over the last couple of weeks.”
Last month, seven people died, including one in a car on the ground, after a twin-engine medevac jet carrying a child patient and her mother crashed in a neighborhood in northeast Philadelphia.
“And I got to tell you something, as an Eagles fan, I know how people love to hate us. They love to root against us. But something I noticed is that all of a sudden, people were coming together to cheer on our Philadelphia Eagles. Not just here in Philly but all across America. It would seem the Philadelphia Eagles are now America’s team.”
Reports came flying across social media that team executive vice president Howie Roseman was hit in the head by a rogue beer can. The NFL posted a photo of him with a gash on his forehead.
Shapiro applauded the city and fans for putting on a “hell of a parade” but quipped about Roseman’s injury.
“Everything was perfect except for some of y’all who did not know how to toss a beer nicely,” Shapiro said. “You fired it too hard. Just ask Howie Roseman.”
Roseman responded to the incident when it was his turn to address the crowd. He screamed, “I bleed for this city,” while lifting up the Lombardi Trophy while fans roared.
With fans chanting “MVP, MVP, MVP,” Hurts thanked his teammates, coaches and the fans for their role in bringing the title back to the city.
“I told myself, when I got drafted, that I wouldn’t come to the Rocky steps until I won a championship and now we are here. I know this year, this team had to battle through so much,” Hurts said.
“This team had to fight. This team had to persevere. It’s been a ton of scrutiny, ton of opinions, ton of all of that. But one thing we do is fight,” Hurts said.
Videos were shared online showing Barkley interacting with fans who lined the streets – posing for pictures, giving hugs and getting doused with champagne.
Barkley, the NFL’s offensive player of the year, got a tremendous applause from the Philly faithful when he stepped up to speak.
“One thing that I’ve learned from being here a short period of time is that you guys are tough, you guys are resilient, you guys know how to f**king fight,” the star running back said.
The ceremony was capped off with fireworks and confetti filling the air.
This story has been updated with additional information.