Crowds attend the Seattle Seahawks parade Wednesday. (Erika Schultz/Seattle Times)
SEATTLE — As the Seahawks paraded through the streets of Seattle to celebrate their Super Bowl victory, even the sky couldn’t help but shine a bright blue.
The rare mid-February sun followed a resounding 29-13 victory on Sunday, as an estimated 1 million fans packed a 2-mile stretch of 4th Ave. through town on Wednesday as players, team legends, coaches, executives and public officials celebrated the second championship in team history.
It was a day Gov. Bob Ferguson, who walked the route from Lumen Field to Seattle Center, formally declared “Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl Champions Day” and encouraged fans from across the state to celebrate.
Ahead of the parade, roughly 50,000 fans gathered inside Lumen Field to recognize the team before they boarded buses.
Inside the stadium, the crowd roared as players made their way from the locker room to the stage. Among the players who received the loudest applause was wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who signed with the team as a free agent ahead of the season. Kupp, a native of Yakima who later starred on Roos Field as a member of the Eastern Washington University football team, gave his hometown a shoutout as he spoke on stage.
“Thank you, guys, for embracing a kid, a couple of kids from Eastern Washington, from Yakima and Tri Cities,” said Kupp, who donned a Ken Griffey Jr. jersey. “I appreciate you all.”
While Lumen Field had an estimated crowd of 50,000 people inside the stadium, thousands more packed the North parking lot to watch the ceremony on giant video boards.
One of those was Viviane Coronado, who had brought a slim black Nikon film camera.
“I’m a photographer,” she said. “Just as a hobby.”
She’s from Texas, but had moved to Seattle several years ago, and since the Cowboys had not won a championship since 1996, she rooted for the Seahawks.
For her, one of the highlights of the game was the halftime show, which featured musicians Bad Bunny and Lady Gaga.
“I think that it was different, and also, I love Lady Gaga, so I was so happy that she was a part of it,” she said. “I’m Hispanic, and seeing our culture on a stage like that was really, really meaningful to me.”
The party in Seattle started early, with the smell of hot dogs and beer wafting through the air at 8 a.m., about two hours before the ceremony inside Lumen Field began.
“I’ll give a beer to anyone,” a man joked, laughing while carrying a box of Coors Light.
Following the ceremony, hundreds packed onto crammed light rail trains to make their way uptown to find a better viewing spot for the parade.
At the corner of 4th and Jackson, a crowd of about 40 people deep lined the street waiting for the team to arrive. Just after noon, the Seahawks dancers and Blue Thunder, the team’s official drumline, arrived along with a convoy of buses and Washington National Guard vehicles .
Some climbed trees and others scaled light poles, while a group of kids hiked the awning of the Macy’s store to get a glimpse of the celebration.
As players passed the crowd, fans clamored for autographs, photos and high-fives.