‘This is crazy.’ Crowd size for Canes’ Stanley Cup parade shatters Raleigh’s record

By anybody’s guess, the Carolina Hurricanes’ victory parade drew a massive number of people jammed elbow-to-elbow for more than a mile, a sea of red so enormous it conjured thoughts of Woodstock.

But the official number wasn’t just eye-popping, it very likely broke Raleigh’s record for most people in one place: 150,000.

That’s the total confirmed by Raleigh police, a city spokesperson told The News & Observer Saturday afternoon, not long after the festivities had concluded.

It equals roughly a third of Raleigh’s population.

Last year, Raleigh’s Wide Open Music Festival drew that many fans over three days.

“I did not expect that, for sure,” Canes owner Tom Dundon said of the turnout. “Like, I didn’t know. That’s a lot of people. I was surprised. It’s, also, you know, seeing all the little kids, my guys up there with water guns, and all the little kids in front, thinking about how many people have this connection now and what that’ll mean for the future, is kind of what kind of will hit me.”

The celebration was 20 years in the making, the last time the Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup. Then-captain Rod Brind’Amour is now the coach of the winning team. In 2006, two events were held to celebrate the Canes: a parade at the Lenovo Center (then known as the RBC Center) and a smaller parade downtown.

As Canes forward Seth Jarvis stood on the rally stage, he sized up the massive crowd in front of him, shook his head and said what everyone in Raleigh was thinking:

“This is crazy.”

Sports editor Steve Wiseman contributed.

This story was originally published June 20, 2026 at 3:07 PM.

Josh Shaffer

The News & Observer

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Josh Shaffer is a general assignment reporter on the watch for “talkers,” which are stories you might discuss around a water cooler. He has worked for The News & Observer since 2004 and writes a column about unusual people and places.