Victory parade bound to be good for city's businesses

Auckland is set to boom for business today with thousands of people expected to flow through the city for the America's Cup victory parade.

"We're expecting a pretty big day in the heart of the city," said Viv Beck, chief executive of the Heart of the City.

"As soon as there was word of a parade there were restaurants and bars taking bookings.

"People are coming in to celebrate and see the team, but there's definitely people wanting to celebrate in cafe and bars and have a great time. The combination of the cup and rugby fans arriving for Saturday night means we'll have a big day."

The victory parade will start at 12.30pm by Aotea Square and head down Queen St towards the waterfront.

At around 2.30pm Team New Zealand will take to the water and cruise around the Viaduct Basin, towards Queen Wharf.

Beck said anticipated crowds of people in the city meant there were increased sales opportunity for local businesses.

"They'll be a lot of people looking to eat and drink but primarily the focus for people is to come and see the team, but certainly, the feedback we're getting is there's a big opportunity [for business] with so many people in the city."

However, one business owner said he expected his business to falter today, based on experience from the last public parade.

Floods of people had blocked the entrance to the cafe during the Santa Parade.

Queen St-based Brazilian eatery Durello is anticipating an influx of customers.

Co-owner Barbara Scholten said she expects her shop sales to double today.

"Usually when there are events on in the Square we get much more people coming to the shop, which is understandable. I know when there are parades such as the Diwali Festival or Santa Parade that our sales absolutely increase," she said.

"If we would have been on the waterfront it would have been even better."

Ferry company Fullers has this morning been warning customers of potential congestion and is urging commuters to plan ahead.

It has scheduled extra sailing times to cope with anticipated demand.