New York City will allow a watch party outside Madison Square Garden for Game 1 of the N.B.A. finals on Wednesday, a sudden reversal after it had declined to permit such gatherings, a spokesman for MSG Sports, the group that owns the Knicks, confirmed on Wednesday.
The parties had been canceled after multiple arrests and general chaos outside the arena last week when the Knicks won Game 4 of their previous series, sending them to their first finals in 27 years.
A police spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Sam Raskin, a spokesman for City Hall, said in a statement that Mayor Zohran Mamdani was pleased that watch parties were moving forward outside Madison Square Garden and across the city.
“Our administration is proud to support these efforts and give New Yorkers opportunities to come together and celebrate this historic Knicks run,” Mr. Raskin said in a statement. “As a Knicks fan and a New Yorker, the mayor feels the energy and excitement this team has brought to the city.”
The Knicks are playing the San Antonio Spurs in Texas on Wednesday night in Game 1 of the finals. Permits for further games in the series will be decided on a case-by-case basis, according to a City Hall official.
Fans have been eager to watch the team as close as possible to the Garden, one of basketball’s best-known venues, often called “the Mecca.” But tickets for a watch party inside the stadium sold out within an hour on Monday.
While watch parties outside the Garden had been canceled, others in the area went forward with celebrating. After the Knicks clinched the Eastern Conference finals to advance to the finals last week, thousands of fans left a watch party at Radio City Music Hall and made their way to Madison Square Garden, blocking traffic for hours while they celebrated.
Over the last few Knicks seasons, parties outside Madison Square Garden have become a ritual, with fans crowding into busy Midtown Manhattan blocks to embrace, dance and drink. Some even climbed lampposts.
But the police have been wary of the watch parties, which have grown increasingly raucous in recent years, with some fans pinning the blame for the chaos on viral videos that showed Knicks fans getting rowdy for the cameras. Last month, City Hall canceled watch parties going forward, though fans still congregated outside the garden after the Knicks won Game 4 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the police arrested six people there.
Jonah E. Bromwich contributed reporting.
Claire Fahy reports on New York City and the surrounding area for The Times.
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