The Alicia Keys Knicks parade finale is now part of Thursday’s championship rollout in New York City, with Page Six reporting that the Grammy winner will close the celebration at City Hall.
“The Knicks are bringing in the big guns!” a source told the outlet. Subtle? Not especially. Accurate to the scale of the booking? Fair enough.
Keys is expected to perform “Empire State of Mind,” her 2009 New York anthem with Jay-Z, as the city marks the New York Knicks’ 2026 NBA Finals victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
How the Knicks parade is scheduled to run
The parade is set for Thursday morning in lower Manhattan, starting near Battery Park at around 10:00 AM ET.
From there, the team will travel through the Canyon of Heroes, the city’s traditional route for major championship parades and civic celebrations. The procession will end at City Hall, where the formal program is expected to include:
- Speeches from officials and team figures
- Musical performances
- A ceremony presenting the Keys to the City to the Knicks
That last item is a standard New York victory-parade flourish. The fact that Alicia Keys is also performing at the same event is almost too tidy, but municipal programming does enjoy a theme when one is available.
Why Alicia Keys missed the title-clinching game
Keys, 45, was not in San Antonio for the Knicks’ final game on Saturday. The Manhattan-born singer, a lifelong Knicks fan, had a scheduling conflict in New York: the Tribeca Film Festival premiere of her new documentary, “Girl from Hell’s Kitchen.”
The conflict did not stop her from celebrating the result. After the premiere, Keys turned the documentary afterparty into a Knicks victory party, wearing a Knicks jacket and performing “Empire State of Mind” for the crowd.
Page Six previously reported that the event drew a notable guest list, including Natasha Lyonne, Angela Simmons, Lena Waithe, Jane Rosenthal and Nas. The party took place at Capitale, which had been redesigned as a tribute to Keys’ version of New York.
Her celebration was already built for the parade stage
Keys also shared the moment on Instagram, posting footage of fans singing “Empire State of Mind” in the streets after the win.
“It’s a New York moment!!!!!!🗽✨” she wrote. “The @nyknicks are officially world champions 🏀.”
She also credited Nas, whom she called “her brother,” for joining her onstage. Like Keys, Nas is a native New Yorker, so the city branding department can take the afternoon off.
“Celebrating the greatest city in the world!!!!! Let’s go New York🧡💙,” Keys added.
In a behind-the-scenes TikTok video set to Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York,” Keys watched the Knicks clinch the championship on a television in her Tribeca dressing room while wearing her Knicks jacket.
“Let’s go New York!” she shouted repeatedly.
She also joked, “I gotta change my whole show now.”
At the end of the clip, Keys clapped toward the TV as friends in the room noted that the Knicks had not won the NBA Finals in 53 years. That long gap helps explain why Thursday’s event is being treated less like a standard sports parade and more like a citywide release party with a very obvious closing track.
