How to find parade routes and event road closures before you go
See more PinScene stories in your Google results.
Navigation apps catch crashes fast. They're much slower on the parade that closed your street at 9 a.m.
Parades, marathons, and street festivals close roads on a schedule set weeks ahead, but that schedule often doesn't reach your navigation app until the barricades are up. The information exists. It just lives in a few specific places.
Your city's traffic advisory
Many large cities publish a weekly list of planned closures. New York's version is typical. The city's Department of Transportation posts a weekend traffic advisory listing "streets, bridges, highways, and tunnels that are temporarily closed for planned construction activities, special events, parades, and other events." A preliminary list goes up early in the week and is updated with a final version on Friday. The city also runs a street closures map and an email subscription for the advisory.
Search your city's name plus "traffic advisory," "street closures," or "special events." The special events office, or whichever department issues event permits, usually posts closure maps for big events.
The event itself
For marathons, parades, and large festivals, the organizer usually publishes a route or course map, often with closure times, in a spectator guide or on the event website.
Police and transit
Police departments often post closures for large events on social media. Transit agencies often publish bus detours for parade days, and that's a useful signal even if you're driving, since detours mark the streets that are shut.
Keep in mind that advisories cover planned closures only. New York's advisory notes it "does not reflect closures due to emergency situations," which go through emergency management and police instead.
Day of
Routes and times can change on the day itself. When they do, a live map where neighbors post what's actually blocked will beat any list published on Friday. Our guide to checking road closures covers the everyday sources, from state 511 systems to city public works pages.
Sources
Frequently asked
How do I find a parade route or event road closures?
Check your city's traffic advisory or special events page, the event organizer's route map, and police and transit agency posts. Many large cities, including New York, publish a weekly list of planned closures for parades and events.
Why doesn't my navigation app show parade closures?
Navigation apps are fast at detecting slowdowns but slower to reflect planned closures that haven't started yet. City advisories and organizer route maps list parade and event closures ahead of time.
Do traffic advisories include emergency road closures?
Usually not. City advisories list planned closures for construction and events. Emergency closures are posted by police and emergency management, so check their social media accounts for sudden closures.