One of the hottest pieces of real estate in New York City this week isn't an apartment. It's a piece of Lower Manhattan sidewalk along the Knicks' championship parade route — and some people are charging hundreds of dollars to hold one.
Ahead of Thursday's celebration, would-be line sitters are advertising their services online, offering to secure prime viewing spots as the procession winds from Bowling Green through the "Canyon of Heroes" to City Hall.
On Airtasker, a gig-work platform where users can hire people for tasks and errands, multiple Knicks parade-related listings have cropped up, with asking prices ranging from $50 to $800.
The listings come from both sides of the market: people offering to hold spots along the parade route, as well as fans looking to hire someone to wait in their place.
One listing offered $750 to someone who could secure three spots near Broadway and Barclay Street from midnight Wednesday until 8 a.m. Thursday, two hours before the parade is set to begin. The task had already been assigned by Tuesday night.
The parade comes after the Knicks ended a 53-year championship drought on Saturday, defeating the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
"Through near misses, heartbreak and a hope that every year could be our year, this city never stopped believing in the Knicks. And this team fulfilled that hope with grit, resilience and heart — just like the five boroughs itself," New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a statement on Saturday.
Following the parade, the mayor will present the Knicks with the keys to the city during a championship ceremony at City Hall Plaza. The city is also giving away 600 tickets to the event through a public lottery that closes at 11 a.m. on June 17.
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Amanda is a senior reporter at Business Insider's Singapore bureau. She covers real estate and lifestyle, with a focus on the stories of everyday people and how they live and find home in different places, particularly across Asia.Her work explores relocation trends and alternative living, often intersecting with travel, culture, wellness, and relationships.In 2025, she won the Singapore Press Club's Rising Stars Young Digital Journalist Award.She previously worked as a writer and video producer at a content marketing agency in Singapore. She graduated from the University at Buffalo with a BA (Hons) in Sociology.Got a tip? Reach her at [email protected].Selected stories:
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