Fans jubilant as Braves return to Truist Park as champs

Three days after the Atlanta Braves clinched their first World Series title in 26 years, the city gave the team a hero’s welcome with a two-part parade.

The procession began at noon in downtown Atlanta and culminated in Cobb County with a concert inside Truist Park featuring Atlanta natives Ludacris and Big Boi.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution had reporters stationed across the city to provide updates on the day’s festivities:

4:45 p.m.

Atlanta natives and decorated rappers Big Boi and Ludacris are entertaining the crowd, bringing a festive end to a triumphant day for Braves fans.

We’re signing off for the day. Check back to ajc.com for any breaking updates.

4:20 p.m.

A cascade of confetti enveloped members of the Atlanta Braves as Queen’s “We are the Champions” blared at Trust Park.

Players just wrapped nearly an hour’s worth of speeches at Truist Park, during which many urged the team to re-sign Freddie Freeman, who this week became a free agent. Several others dropped the f-bomb — to the chagrin of broadcasters airing the event live, we’re sure.

Organizers are now prepping the field for Ludacris and Big Boi, two Atlanta natives and Grammy Award winners who will serenade the at-capacity crowd.

3:50 p.m.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms was met with a mix of cheers and boos as she was introduced on stage. She got more cheers as she wrapped up her brief speech by thanking the Braves.

It was the next speaker, Hank Aaron’s widow, Billye, who got a standing ovation.

3:20 p.m.

Players walked (and in some cases ran) down the red carpet set up on the field in Truist Park as they were introduced to the fans one at a time. Some were accompanied by their wives and kids.

We’re expecting the formal ceremony to begin at 3:30 p.m. Watch Channel 2 Action News’ livestream of the festivities here and follow our colleague Gabe Burns for the latest from inside the stadium.

The ceremony will take place on a stage set up on the field near second base. Hank Aaron’s widow, Billye, is there.

2:50 p.m.

As they continued their procession through The Battery, Braves players hoisted up the Commissioner’s Trophy, sprayed champagne from an open-top bus and waved the team flag.

Some fans tossed beer cans into the crowd as DJ Snake and Lil Jon’s “Turn Down For What?” blasted from the speakers.

The sound of helicopters overhead only added to the cacophony of cow bells, cheering fans and music blasting from the speakers.

After the procession passed by them in The Battery, many fans ran further down the road rushing to the stadium to keep celebrating and hopefully see their favorite players again.

Others picked up pieces of confetti from the road to commemorate the day.

Inside Truist Park, an extra-long red carpet was laid out on the field for the players. Some 43,000 fans are expected to cheer them on.

-Neby Moges, Tricia Cumiskey, Taylor Reimann

2:35 p.m.

The crowd at The Battery erupted as Braves manager Brian Snitker, donning a white jersey with a black hoodie underneath, passed by in the back of a pickup truck with his wife.

Next was first baseman Freddie Freeman, who was met with chants of “Freddie, Freddie!”

Outfielder Jorge Soler, the World Series MVP, waved the flag of his native Cuba as his car drove by. Fans shouted “MVP!” in his wake.

2:25 p.m.

Fans erupted into cheers as the team came into view from around the corner.

Confetti was thrown from the top of the open-topped bus carrying many members of the team. Players waved and shot videos from their cell phones.

As the caravan passed, fans did the tomahawk chop and chanted for outfielder Eddie Rosario, who was named MVP in the National League Championship Series.

2:20 p.m.

Braves fans assembled at The Battery are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the team. Parents are hoisting their children on their shoulders in the hopes of catching a glimpse. The procession is moving slowly at the moment.

2:05 p.m.

Back down on Peachtree Street, cars were taking the street lanes back, and the sidewalks had strollers, not baseball fans. But people in Braves shirts and caps still walked the sidewalks along with kids. A row of specially tricked-out vehicles low to the ground with flashing lights all over came up Peachtree in an organized parade, blaring the Braves chant.

And just to the south, James English and his crew were working on cleaning up the trash left behind from the spectators, spearing cans, cups, papers with a pole and then bagging the refuse. It’s just his job, he said; that’s what he does, he keeps the city clean. But it’s a proud day for Atlanta, and it reminds him of when he came downtown in 1995 to watch the parade then.

“I’m always happy when people are happy,” he said.

-Ariel Hart

2 p.m.

Fans at The Battery just outside Truist Park are eagerly awaiting the Braves’ imminent arrival. Many are staying busy by doing the tomahawk chop.

Security and police just corralled excited fans out of the street to prepare for the team’s arrival. Fans are packed in tight on the street and parking decks to catch a glimpse of the players.

-Taylor Reimann and Tricia Cumiskey

1:55 p.m.

Baseball truly does have the power to unite.

Atlanta mayoral runoff rivals Felicia Moore and Andre Dickens sat side by side on a trolley car near the start of the Braves parade. Each sported their finest team gear and cheered along with the crowd massed along Peachtree for the parade.

Other politicians got in on the action, too. Lawmakers stuck in a special legislative session wandered outside to take part of the action. Cheers and chants could be heard inside the Gold Dome during staid legislative hearings.

-Greg Bluestein

1:40 p.m.

The Paschal family has been supporting the Braves for almost 50 years. John Paschal, father of two boys and a firefighter from Rockmart, said, “It’s like 1995 again but with more traffic than I remember.”

As fans await the team’s arrival, the crowd cheered on a young braves fan doing the tomahawk chop during a newscast.

-Neby Moges

1:35 p.m.

Angie Lockwood, 45, came to The Battery from Roswell with her daughters and their friends to celebrate the Braves win. Her husband had to work today, but she’s “playing hooky” from her consulting job so that her girls can be part of the historic celebrations.

”It’s a girl’s day!” Lockwood said.

Her friend’s daughter, Georgia Grein, 12, says she was beyond excited when she found out school was closed.

”I’ve been a Braves fan since I can ever remember!” Grein said, wearing red and blue beads, a World Series sweatshirt and a huge smile.

-Taylor Reimann

1:25 p.m.

Steve McClelland, 59, from Buckhead came with his friends to celebrate the Braves win. He was 10 years old when he saw Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run, newly married when he went to game 6 of the 1995 World Series, and today he is a season ticket holder reveling in the win of the team he’s loved for so long.

”I can’t even believe this is happening. I mean the energy here is unmatched,” McClelland said. “I have goosebumps on top of goosebumps.”

-Tricia Cumiskey

12:45 p.m.

The Battery outside Truist park is already packed with excited Braves fans ready for the celebration. Fans are lined up outside the Coca-Cola Roxy where the parade is set to conclude. With the school closures, kids of all ages sporting Braves caps and jerseys are looking around in awe, taking in the crowds.

The Braves are currently on the highway en route to Cobb County. The second leg of the parade is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.

-Taylor Reimann

12:30 p.m.

Braves players waved to the crowd as they came down Peachtree toward Midtown. Freddie Freeman, Eddie Rosario and Jorge Soler were in separate cars and got especially raucous cheers.

Joc Pederson was spotted throwing out pearls to the crowd.

Some fans threw beers up to the top level of the buses.

The parade is moving quite fast, according to veteran photographers.

After the parade crowds filled Peachtree Street. Sanjay Sharma and his family were with them. Sharma, an IT worker from Duluth, came to Georgia 25 years ago and just missed the last championship. He’s been a Braves fan ever since. He thought they’d win Sunday and got scared when they didn’t. In game 6, he only felt solid after the 7th inning.

On Friday, Sharma had visiting family and they all came with him to the victory parade. “It’s amazing!” he said. His nephew Amulya Bhattarai, visiting from Seattle and wearing a Mariners cap, said he enjoyed coming.

“This is the only championship parade I’m ever going to see,” Bhattarai deadpanned.

-Tamar Hallerman, Ariel Hart, J.D. Capelouto

12:15 p.m.

The thousands of Braves fans assembled downtown roared as team members glided past in trolleys, pickups and an open-topped bus.

Some Braves players were recording the scene on their phones. Others had cigars in their hands. The Freeze was spotted doing the tomahawk chop and the crowd went nuts for team manager Brian Snitker.

Alex W. was 3 years old when the Braves last won the World Series. Friday, the GSU law student brought his 3-year-old son Walker to watch the parade.

”It’s still nostalgic to come down here for a parade,” he said.

Walker enjoyed seeing the police horses at the end, but also loved seeing the team win.

”It was awesome,” Walker said.

-Ben Brasch

12:10 p.m.

Heather Beccaria of Sandy Springs watched every one of the 161 Braves games this year. Last year she got so stressed in the playoffs that she got shingles. This year, she said, she knew.

“I had a feeling from the beginning,” she said.

Beccaria and her friends and family watched the games together and had no doubt they would come to the parade to celebrate.

Nate Artzi, Heather Beccaria, Remy Rosenberg, Dana Rosenberg, Mike Rosenberg are near the parade end on Peachtree Street just south of 10th Street.

-Ariel Hart

12:05 p.m.

State Reps. Becky Evans and Sam Park walked down from the Gold Dome to soak in the parade. Park was 10 when the Braves last won and Evans was in her late 30s.

Park said he hopes this is “a spot of hope amidst all the chaos.”

Evans said she hopes she can come to another parade soon.

”It’s a once-in-a-generation thing, but hopefully not,” she said.

The legislature reconvened earlier this week for a special session focused on redistricting.

-Ben Brasch

Noon

For Emily Markette, the Braves are a family affair. She attended today’s parade with nearly a dozen family members spanning three generations.

“We grew up going to Fulton County Stadium. We went to the first game at the Ted. We were there when Andruw Jones hit his first home run,” she said, as her 2-year-old son sat on the shoulders of her father, Joe Kimble.

Kimble was at the 1995 game when the Braves won the World Series.

“I was 10. My sister and I were at home. We were jealous of him going,” Markette said.

Not too far away was a woman holding a sign saying “please give Freddie a contract,” a reference to Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman who was a free agent as of Wednesday.

“I figure the people I need to talk to are gonna be coming by,” the woman told a reporter.

-J.D. Capelouto

11:50 a.m.

They skipped school or got proper permission to ditch class.

It didn’t matter to the kids lining Peachtree Street on Friday morning. One way or another, truant or not, they weren’t going to miss the Atlanta Braves parade.

Not for school. Not when it’s the city’s first World Series win in 26 years.

“We played hooky,” said Cooper Rose, 11, a fifth grade student at Youth Elementary School in Walton County.

Read more here about how some of the Braves’ youngest fans are celebrating today.

-Vanessa McCray

11:40 a.m.

Fans were packing the sidewalk at Peachtree and Auburn near the starting point of the parade, many blowing noisemakers and cheering when the spirit caught them.

The Woodruff Park fountains were dyed red for the occasion:

It appeared that many of the unhomed who usually take shelter at Woodruff Park were not present for the parade.

-Ben Brasch

11:35 a.m.

Billy Wright, a lifelong Atlantan, took his son Britton to the Braves celebration parade in 1995. They brought copies of the special edition of the AJC celebrating the World Series win to their vantage point on the parade route today.

“He was 3 when that one happened. I got to bring him to that (parade), but he doesn’t remember it,” Billy Wright said. “It’s good to come full circle, bring him when he’s an adult.”

-J.D. Capelouto

11:25 a.m.

Fans were already lining Peachtree Street and cheering outside the Fox Theatre as authorities blocked off the road to cars at 11 a.m. The occasional tomahawk chop and chant broke out as fans with views from high balconies looked down over the festivities.

Harrison Watters moved to Atlanta just two years ago, but he already feels an attachment to the Braves.

“I went to a game this summer and it was just magic. And it happened to be right around the time when they went on a super hot winning streak, so I became superstitious,” he said. “I felt like I had to keep watching them.”

Not long after, a nearby cop car began playing the tomahawk chop from its speakers and the Marching Abominables emerged to entertain the (very cold) crowd at Peachtree and Ponce.

-J.D. Capelouto

11:15 a.m.

Tyrae Carter was looking like a winner walking through Centennial Olympic Park. A gold WWE wrestling championship belt emblazoned with “1995 Atlanta Braves” was wrapped around his waist.

He came to soak in the parade with his wife, fellow 26-year-old Clayton County native Jasmine Carter, and their 8-year-old daughter Lyndon.

He said he bought the belt in 2015 and plans to spend the money again.

“I’m definitely getting another one,” he said.

His wife Jasmine said he wore the belt for every playoff game at home.

Lyndon was asleep when the Braves won late Tuesday. She found out at 7 a.m. the next morning when her dad came up to her with his arms above his head.

“He was smiling,” she said.

Nearby there were kids climbing the Olympic rings in the park and people milling around in Braves gear, taking pictures and sporting smiles behind their masks.

-Ben Brasch

11 a.m.

The Atlanta Police Department announced even more road closures near the parade route:

Our colleagues Chelsea Prince and Henri Hollis are keeping close tabs on weather and traffic. Track the latest here.

10:30 a.m.

Time for a little AJC #FBF.

The last time the city got to celebrate a Braves World Series win was 1995. You know, when Coolio was still a thing.

We dug through the AJC archives and found the Atlanta Constitution’s front page from Oct. 31. Take a look: