Fans advised to plan ahead and stay local for LFC victory parade

Important travel advice was today issued to the hundreds of thousands of Liverpool fans expected to line the city’s streets for the club’s Premier League victory parade on Monday 26 May.

The team bus will take a nine-mile route through Liverpool on Bank Holiday Monday, 26 May, to celebrate the club winning a record-equalling 20th English top-flight title.

Starting at Allerton Maze at 2:30pm, the convoy will follow the same route as the 2019 and 2022 victory parades, travelling along Queens Drive, West Derby Road, New Islington and Leeds Road before finishing on The Strand. It is expected to last approximately 3-5 hours, but this is subject to change.

People were today asked to think about where they watch the open top bus parade and how they will get there and back.

The route offers numerous opportunities to see the players and coaching staff, and fans were urged to consider staying local and to walk or cycle if possible.

Fans planning to use public transport are advised to plan their journeys in advance and allow more time.

Cllr Steve Foulkes, Chair of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Transport Committee, said:

“The Liverpool City Region has a proud reputation for hosting and delivering successful large-scale events and we need everyone to play their part across this busy bank holiday weekend.

“Alongside the LFC parade, we will also be hosting the Radio 1 Big Weekend festival in Sefton Park and the visit of Cunard’s Queen Anne cruise ship. Services are going to be extremely busy so we’re asking people to think about their travel plans.

“If you live near to or can get to the parade route outside of the city centre then ideally watch from there. If you do need public transport, then please help us keep people moving by following our advice and planning your journeys.

“We know that LFC fans from the city region and beyond will of course want to enjoy Liverpool’s title success this season and celebrate in style, just like they did in 2019 and 2022. We’re expecting hundreds of thousands to take to the streets again this year and watch the parade and we want everyone to enjoy themselves safely.”

The key advice shown below can be found on the Merseytravel website at https://www.merseytravel.gov.uk/customer-information/lfc-parade/

Key advice

What you can do to help

• Plan your journey in advance – to ensure you can get where you’re going to go and home again, whether you are travelling to watch the parade or for other reasons e.g. going to work.
• Stay local if you can – if you live along or close to the parade route, stay local and walk or cycle. Even consider travelling to locations along the route as it may be easier to do so. This may give you the best vantage point. Decide which part of the route you want to wait at and arrive in plenty of time. It also means you can avoid a busy transport network and road closures in and around the city centre.
• Walk and Cycle where possible – Not only will this potentially be quicker than other transport methods, it’s also great for the environment.

If you’re using public transport:

• Check routes and plan ahead before you travel – There will be some changes to services e.g. railway station closures, change of service frequency, different drop-off points.
• Check operator websites and social channels for up-to-date timetables – This will be the best source of the latest changes and alterations to services – changes may be flexible based on what happens on the day.
• Consider your options – The transport network is expected to be very busy before and after the parade finishes. Consider staggering your travel home times and have a contingency plan should you need it.
• Allow more time for your journeys – Services will be much busier and there may be queues, so you may not make the service you planned to. Bus services may take longer due to rolling road closures.
• Buy travel tickets in advance and online if you can – This will speed up your journey and help you avoid queues on the day
• Don’t aim for the last train or bus home – Especially if you are travelling in and out of Liverpool City Centre as services will be extremely busy. Demand is likely to exceed capacity.
• Be patient – Large crowds are expected, and it is impossible to predict how long it will take the team bus to travel along the route. This will also impact on when road closures will be lifted and affected bus routes can get back to normal.
• Be kind to transport staff – Staff will be working hard to keep bus, rail, Mersey Ferries and Mersey Tunnels services running throughout and to provide help and advice.