Toronto parade route is packed with fans to see the Raptors

The streets of downtown Toronto are rammed this morning with exuberant sports fans ahead of the city's — nay, the entire country's — first ever NBA Championship parade.

Queen and University is packed and the parade hasn’t even started yet #Toronto #Raptors #WeTheNorth #WeTheNorthDay pic.twitter.com/yOppEXADGL

— blogTO (@blogTO) June 17, 2019

Your 2019 NBA champs, the Toronto Raptors, famously defeated two-time defending champions the Golden State Warriors at Oakland's Oracle Arena on Thursday night to bring home their first title in franchise history.

The city has been buzzing ever since.

With their take-down of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and the rest of Golden State's All-Star lineup, the Raptors became the first team outside the U.S. ever to win the NBA Finals on Thursday night — and Toronto was there for it.

A wild Thursday night led to a quiet Friday morning, but the people are rested and once again stoked to cheer on their hometown heroes.

The view from high up in City Hall. Please consider viewing from Coronation Park. #WetheChampions #Raptors pic.twitter.com/4yo6jZcIBr

— City of Toronto (@cityoftoronto) June 17, 2019

The official Toronto Raptors Championship Parade kicks off at 10 a.m. this morning at Exhibition Place's Princes' Gates, where fans have already been camped out since the wee hours in hopes of scoring a spot with a view.

Unless you got there nice and early — as in before sunrise — good luck getting anywhere near the parade's starting point.

The procession, which is set to feature everyone from Drake to five buses filled with Raptors greats such as Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka, Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet, will head east from Exhibition place down Lakeshore Boulevard.

The sidewalks and roadsides running along Lakeshore between Strachan and York Street have been filled with people since early Monday morning.

Heading north up York Street and University Avenue to dip east on Queen, the parade will finished with a massive celebration rally at Nathan Philips Square around 12:30 p.m.

The corner of Queen and University right now as fans await the Toronto Raptors parade that won’t be coming by here for hours #Toronto #Raptors #WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/mbRHy0e3ju

— blogTO (@blogTO) June 17, 2019

The area surrounding City Hall hit capacity hours before the parade was even set to begin.

Already, Nathan Phillips Square is at capacity with just under 2 hours till the Raptors Parade starts at Exhibition Place!
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.@ExPlaceTO @cityoftoronto @Raptors#toronto #WeTheNorth #Raptors #win #celebration #victory #MondayMotivation #mondaymorning #monday #drake #TheSix pic.twitter.com/45mIE8I2Wp

— Spexon Toronto (@spexontoronto) June 17, 2019

Lines are now starting to snake out from the parade route itself as people show up in hopes of seeing the action.

You might want to avoid driving on University Avenue right now #Toronto #Raptors #WetheNorth #WeTheNorthDay pic.twitter.com/BDg3p2YPBr

— blogTO (@blogTO) June 17, 2019

Good luck getting a coffee (or pretty much anything else) downtown right now.

Have fun and be safe out there, Toronto.

Fingers crossed you can find a rooftop with a view because, if you don't have a spot along the route right now, you're very unlikely to score one.