Brewers parade draws thousands to Milwaukee streets

Thousands of fans lined the streets of Milwaukee on Friday morning to celebrate the Brewers' first World Series championship.

The team secured the title with a 4-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday. The win concluded the series in five games, ending a long wait for the small-market franchise.

Milwaukee Public Schools canceled classes on Friday. This decision allowed residents to join the crowd for the parade. The route ran through downtown and ended at Henry Maier Festival Park. The park sits near the shore of Lake Michigan.

Fans arrived hours early to secure good viewing spots along Wisconsin Avenue. This path mirrors the route taken by the 1982 team. That squad lost the World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. The Brewers had not returned to the Fall Classic until this year.

Kasey Diedrich attended his first Brewers game at age four in 1983. He was at the parade with his father, Mark Diedrich. Mark is 76 years old and has held partial season tickets on and off since the 1980s. He owns the seats from the old Milwaukee County Stadium where he watched Robin Yount record his 3,000th hit in 1992. Mark said he remembers the ice on the stadium steps during opening day games. A worker spread salt to melt the ice while they prepared for the game. The family wore T-shirts listing their bucket-list items. They had already seen an All-Star Game in 2002 and a Rolling Stones concert. Now they had seen the Brewers in the World Series. Mark, wearing a Jackson Chourio shirt, called the experience unbelievable. He said he never thought it would happen, but it did.

Craig Muehl, a 42-year-old from Brookfield, brought his young son and daughter to the event. He inherited his fandom from his father. Muehl said his dad had Brewers games on the radio wherever they went. He noted that some families play music, but his family played baseball games all summer long.

The team visited Lambeau Field on Thursday night to watch the Green Bay Packers. Captain Christian Yelich and pitcher Jacob Misiorowski were in attendance. Fans gave a large ovation when Brandon Woodruff walked out of the tunnel in the second quarter holding the Commissioner's Trophy. Sal Frelick attempted a Lambeau leap and succeeded. The players later appeared on the video board wearing cheeseheads with the message 2026 WS Champions. A large police presence managed the heavy traffic and crowds during the Friday parade. The franchise began as the Seattle Pilots in 1969 and moved to Milwaukee in 1970. The Milwaukee Braves won the World Series in 1957 before moving to Atlanta in 1966.