Aston Villa celebrates winning the UEFA Europa League with fans with an open-top bus victory parade through Birmingham city centre today(Thursday May 21) and here’s essential information on the event.
Aston Villa FC has organised the parade, which will start at 4.30pm in Branston Street in the Jewellery Quarter and cover a route of roughly 4.5km, taking in Sand Pits, Broad Street and Centenary Square, finishing around 6pm.
Organisers say roads and public transport may not return to normal until after 10pm.
Fans are expected to head into the city centre early as they have been warned to allow extra travelling time to get a spot along the parade route, shown in the map below.
Aston Villa said that with many supporters not able to make it to Türkiye to see the team’s 3-0 win over SC Freiburg in the UEFA Europa League final in Istanbul, the club wanted the parade to be a communal celebration, creating a unique experience for fans and players alike in Birmingham.
An Aston Villa spokesperson said: “The Club is grateful for the support and cooperation of the local community and authorities for accommodating the unavoidable disruption from the parade. Aston Villa are covering all costs associated with the event.”
What roads does the Aston Villa parade go down?
The following roads will be subject to temporary closures and parking suspensions and access to car parks and frontages on or accessed via these roads may be restricted during the operational period. Any vehicles remaining on the route may be relocated for safety reasons.
Branston Street, Hall Street, Warstone Lane, Frederick Street, Albion Street, Powell Street, Summer Hill Road, Sand Pits, Clement Street, St Vincent Street, Sheepcote Street, Grosvenor Street West, Ryland Street, Broad Street and Centenary Square.
What fans will see in Aston Villa victory parade
The parade will feature three open-top buses. The lead bus will be dressed in blue and carry media, followed by a claret bus carrying the players and a third blue bus carrying staff.
A trophy lift will also take place as the centrepiece of the parade, creating a moment the Club and city will never forget.
The parade will also be broadcast live on VillaTV, as well as on YouTube and across the Club’s social media channels.
Birmingham road closures and public transport changes
Birmingham City Council is implementing road closures and suspension of parking bays from 10am today for the Aston Villa parade.
Bus and tram services will also be affected with diversions.
Roads in and around Birmingham and trains are expected to be significantly busier than usual due to the parade and associated road closures.
Several bus diversions will be in place between 9.45am and 10pm with some bus stops closed and temporary stops in place.
National Express West Midlands bus services 8A, 8C, 829, 9, 126, X10, X8, 822, 12, 13, 23, 24, 82, 87 and 101 will be subject to diversions and some bus stop changes. Check updates on the Transport for West Midlands disruptions page here and National Express website here.
West Midlands Metro said trams will operate between Wolverhampton Station and Grand Central/Millennium Point only. Services to Edgbaston Village will resume once the parade has safely cleared and the track has been returned to Metro.
Parking bays on affected roads will be suspended until 10pm, with road closures expected to come into effect from approximately 10am and remain in place until approximately 10pm, although roads may reopen earlier if conditions allow.