Hundreds of thousands of people attended the Seahawks Super Bowl 2026 parade in Seattle on Wednesday, and Juneau resident and Seahawks superfan Donna James was one of them.
Juneau residents Donna James and Ken Willard attended the Super Bowl parade in Seattle on February 11, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Donna James)
James went to the parade with her partner, Ken Willard, also a Juneau resident. The two decided to make the trip to Seattle after the Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots 29 to 13 in Sunday’s game.
“We watched the Super Bowl, and they announced that the parade was going to be on Wednesday. So right after the Super Bowl, I said, ‘Well, are we gonna go? Are we gonna go?’ He said, ‘Let’s get our tickets now.’ So we got our tickets that night, and we flew out on Tuesday,” James said.
On the day of the parade, James and Willard woke up at 3 in the morning and got to the parade grounds in downtown Seattle at 5 a.m. for an 11 a.m. start time.
They watched the parade from a bridge on 4th Avenue. James said being at the parade, cheering for her favorite team alongside other “12s” – as Seahawks fans are known – was “a dream come true.”
“When I’m around Seattle Seahawk fans, I get this cold chill, a happy feeling. (I’m) just so happy. It’s hard to explain,” James said. “And then halfway through, I kind of cried – just to be at a Super Bowl parade with a favorite team, all the fans.”
James has been a Seahawks fan since 2010. She’s been known to drive around Juneau in a truck with Seahawks decals, and her license plate says “GO HWKS.”
And she has countless memorabilia – including Seahawks-themed Tlingit regalia, jewelry and a paddle, signed football helmets and Seahawks luggage. James said she never misses watching a Seahawks game and has attended 18 in person.
Donna James has countless team memorabilia, including a Seahawks-themed cedar hat by Natalie Brown, jewelry by Doug Chilton, and a paddle by George Gardner. (Photo courtesy of Donna James)