Wildcats to parade down Market Street Friday

Villanova University may be on the Main Line, but the city of Philadelphia will host a parade for the NCAA’s basketball champs on Friday. 

It’s a natural for Philadelphia to host a Villanova victory parade, said Mayor Jim Kenney.

“I think it was the general public was asking whether we were going to have something or not — we offered and the school accepted,” the mayor said Tuesday after Villanova won it all. “It’s not very complicated, it’s from 20th to 15th street, a five-block event.”

The parade down Market Street will culminate with a rally at City Hall.  It will be very similar to the parade held for Philadelphia’s Little League team the Taney Dragons.

“It’s 1 o’clock on Friday, so I’m sure people will be outside their offices to cheer on these young men who did a great job nationally,” Kenney said.

The university is picking up most of the cost of the parade, he said.