Celtics parade floods the streets of Boston with fans celebrating Banner 18: 'A life dream'

BOSTON — Celtics fans won’t end this celebration anytime soon — 16 years in the making.

As green and white confetti fell along the 2-mile route from TD Garden to Hynes Convention Center, more than a million fans from near and far packed the streets, showing pride for a team that means so much to them and the city as a whole.

“This is like a life dream,” said Nicholas Day, a Pennsylvania resident who has stood by the Celtics long after he left New England. He showed up to Causeway Street with his young song Landon, well before the Duck Boats started rolling.

Thousands of other Celtics fanatics piled outside the Garden early Friday morning, some hours before daybreak.

Superfan Brian Babz showed up at 3 a.m., soaking in the atmosphere while reflecting on the Celtics’ dominance this season. Babz has become a fixture on Causeway Street by co-hosting watch parties at Big Night Live with his friend KJ Green, who got the nod to ride with fan favorite Kristaps Porzingis.

“My adrenaline has been going strong since Monday night,” Babz said, “and now after today, it’s going to last another week. The city is built on sports and championships. This is truly the start of the dynasty.”

“Let’s Go Celtics” chants wrung out on Causeway Street in the early hours, while Hurricanes at the Garden, the Harp, Banners, and other nearby bars, opened early for fans to get in their morning eats and drinks.

Merchandise tents sold “Kyrie (Irving) sucks” and “Luka (Doncic) sucks” shirts — a sign that the Finals win over Dallas is still freshly on the minds of all fans, just days after the Celtics clinched Banner 18 on the hallowed parquet.

And it didn’t take long for the classic Boston celebrations to be seen, with a fan climbing on top of a Canal Street traffic signal minutes before 9 a.m.

City resident Dennis Daniel, also stationed outside of the Garden, said he’s been a Celtics fan “forever” before rattling off the legendary names of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parrish.

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