Hundreds of thousands of people lined up to watch the Warriors parade in San Francisco Monday. It was arguably the biggest event in the city since the pandemic began.
Not everything worked according to plan, which raises questions about how the city will be welcoming crowds in just a few days for the first LGBTQ Pride Parade in years.
Even before the parade started, the BART system started feeling the strain of tens of thousands of passengers trying to get to the same place at the same time.
Morning delays were quickly alleviated, but getting clipper cards and using the mobile clipper app turned into an issue.
“Because there were lines and because there were some issues with mobile clipper, we actually began letting thousands of riders get into the system without getting a card or getting it on their app, so we think the actual amount is higher than that 190,000,” said BART spokesperson Chris Filippi.
BART says they recorded 190,000 passengers Monday, about 30,000 more than the last big event the system handled since the pandemic.
But they also admit to keep things moving and letting several more through for free.
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As the Warriors parade started, trains began skipping Embarcardero and Montomery stations to help spread the crowd out a bit on the route.
On Sunday, BART will again run special service with extra trains.
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The Pride parade route is longer, but crowding in some stations remains a concern.
“On the day of the event, we're asking people to use the Powell Street Station. We know there’s a great deal of interest in the Civic Center, but it gets really crowded there,” said Filippi.
The heat also took its toll on quite a few people during the Warriors parade.
The San Francisco Fire Department responded to at least 90 calls for service near the event - mostly to attend to people suffering from sun exposure or dehydration.
Twenty-one of those people had to be taken to local hospitals.
A spokesman for the fire department said their crews encountered lots of people who didn't seem all that well prepared for a day out in the sun.
He's reminding people who are planning on attending the Pride festivities to make sure that they're hydrated throughout the day.
The good news about the crowds Monday is that the fire department says they did not have to deal with any injuries from fights or other violence.
Thousands of people jumped the barricades near the end of the parade to get closer to the players.
Police surrounded Klay Thompson's bus to keep people from trying to climb aboard and say, for the most part, the crowds were well behaved.
For Pride weekend, SFPD is working closely with event organizers to manage crowds and mitigate any concerns about safety after a high-profile threat at a Pride event in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho.
They're hoping people attending Pride celebrations this weekend will help keep an eye out for possible trouble.
“Right now, we have no known threats against the event. But we do want to ensure the people of San Francisco, the LGBTQ community, and those visiting from around the world to celebrate Pride with us to know that we will be staffed, we'll have sufficient personnel on to ensure the safety and security of all the events,” said Officer Kathryn Winters.
The main parade is Sunday but celebrations begin in Dolores Park and the Castro Friday with the trans march and Saturday with the dyke march.
