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The party never stays exclusively inside Madison Square Garden... until tonight.
When nearly 20,000 fans piled into the stands to watch the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals, a watch party happened right outside. This will not be happening with Game 3, however, as Donald Trump becomes the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game.
Given the heavy secret service and TSA-level security presence for Game 3, the city has elected to move this watch party from the streets outside MSG to Bryant Park.
Here are the specifics of New York City's newest watch party locations for Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
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How did Donald Trump force Knicks watch party to move to Bryant Park?
Trump's presence at the game means that the U.S. Secret Service and NYPD will have a significant presence at the game for the safety of the sitting president. It was also determined that a watch party outside of the stadium would be deemed too dangerous for Trump to attend.
As a result, security standards have risen for Game 3 and the typical watch party location has been disallowed.
In response to Trump's presence shutting down watch party, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani has adapted. He announced a new watch party location at Bryant Park Monday.
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Details of Knicks Bryant Park watch party
This particular watch party will have a maximum capacity of 5,000 attendees, meaning registration is required ahead of time should you want to attend. No need to dump out your wallet, however, as it is free to register. At the time of publication, the capacity has been reached.
“These watch parties have become a celebration of New York City itself,” Mamdani said in a press release. “From every borough and every neighborhood, this city has come together to cheer on the Knicks and share in a moment that belongs to all of us. That’s why we’re adding Bryant Park as an additional watch party location, so even more fans can be part of this incredible Knicks Finals run. Whether you join us in Bryant Park, Central Park or at Brooklyn Bowl, we invite New Yorkers to come together and support our team. Let’s go Knicks.”
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Other Knicks watch parties around New York City
The Knicks have also sanctioned two other nearby watch parties. The first is at Wollman Rink in Central Park with the second taking place at Brooklyn Bowl.
While the game itself won't start until 8:40 p.m. ET, these watch party venues both open at 6 p.m. and typically fill up before the actual start time. Brooklyn Bowl is requiring RSVPs for this purpose.
There are also numerous bars throughout the city that have their own watch parties. The Knicks have also created their own list of bars, a total of 30 across all five boroughs and New Jersey.
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