While thousands of Carolina Hurricanes fans are counting down the hours until Saturday's Stanley Cup celebration parade, businesses along the route are preparing for what could be one of the busiest days of the year.
The parade begins at 11 a.m. Saturday and will travel through the heart of downtown Raleigh, bringing an expected crowd of around 100,000 people to city streets. WRAL's coverage of the parade begins at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.
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For businesses located along Fayetteville Street and surrounding areas, that means stocking up on inventory, adding staff and preparing for an influx of customers.
"We've had a lot of groups telling us they'll be coming in in force. Eating, gearing up, waiting for the parade to get to them," said Erika Daniel with Sir Walter Coffee.
Sir Walter Coffee is uniquely positioned for the celebration, with two locations located directly along the parade route: 145 East Davie St. and 555 Fayetteville St.
For the company, the Hurricanes' championship run has created a business opportunity that came together in a matter of days.
"This is like a huge push, and it's not something we would have had if they hadn't won," Daniel said.
The coffee shop has embraced the excitement by creating Hurricanes-themed drinks and promoting them on social media.
"We did a lot of themed drinks and put them on Instagram immediately," Daniel said.
Downtown leaders say the impact of major sporting events extends beyond a single day of sales.
Michael Haley with Wake County Economic Development said events like the Stanley Cup celebration showcase Raleigh to visitors while helping drive future investment and growth.
"Things like sports are really an important driver for people to see community sort of at its most exciting, most vibrant, more thrilling," Haley said.
Haley said large community gatherings, watch parties and championship celebrations help create experiences that attract both visitors and developers.
"People are always in the mood for an experience more than just a transaction that they can buy," Haley said.
Haley added that events surrounding the Hurricanes' playoff run can influence how business owners and developers view future projects downtown.
"All the watch parties and all those things that people want to be a part of really helps to flow into how developers and owners think about a project in the future," Haley said.
While temporary road closures and crowds may create challenges throughout the weekend, Haley said the celebration is worth it.
"There are going to be some temporary road closures that'll affect it, but at the end of the day we're doing that for a great reason," he said. "We're all going to be there to celebrate the Canes."