Mummers Parade 2024 is here! The Mummers procession, which dates back to 1901, is a folk procession held each year on New Year’s Day in Philadelphia. It is the longest-running folk parade in the United States of America, and the festival enthralls the entire city.
The Philadelphia Mummers Parade is most reminiscent of New Orleans’ Mardi Gras. Clubs in one of five divisions provide a variety of entertainment options, including floats, elaborate costumes, and live shows. The five divisions are Comedies, Fancies, Fancy Brigades, Wench Brigades, and Fancy Bands.
There are jokes, dances, and group contests to see who can keep the viewers interested the longest. The Mummers also have their own “Mummers Strut.”
Mummers Parade 2024: The Parade’s History
Scandinavian immigrants, according to the Quaker City String Band, were among the first to introduce the Mummers tradition to the Philadelphia area. These traditions paved the way for the eventual Mummers Parade in Philadelphia and the highly dressed British traditional theater St. George and the Dragon.
In 1778, the British sent General William Howe off with a send-off procession styled after today’s Mummers procession. When President George Washington lived in Philadelphia, he supported Mummers’ New Year’s Day celebrations. Participants would knock on doors, make jokes, perform poems, and pose in exchange for wine and cake. It was similar to adults going trick-or-treating.
Mummers’ celebrations were dramatically restricted in the early nineteenth century as their masquerades were declared a “public nuisance.” However, they were back with a vengeance by the 1850s, and Philadelphia legally accepted the Mummers procession in 1901.
Mummers Parade 2024: Where will it take place?
The Mummers Parade, a 124-year-old New Year’s tradition, takes place in Philadelphia. Mummers Parade 2024 begins at 9 a.m. at 17th and Market streets, then proceeds south on Board Street to Washington Avenue, turning at City Hall.
Due to the parade processions, the following streets in Philadelphia will be closed beginning at 3 a.m.:
Arch Street to Chestnut Street to 15th StreetMarket Street between 15th and 21st StreetsThe Benjamin Franklin Parkway runs from 16th to 20th Streets. North Broad Street is located between Cherry Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard.16th Street between Chestnut and Race StreetsFrom Ben Franklin Parkway to Ludlow Street, 17th Street18th Street between Ludlow and Race StreetsBen Franklin Parkway to Chestnut Street on 19th StreetRanstead Street between the 1500 and 1500 blocksCarpenter Street 1300 block south 13th Street, 1000 blocks Chestnut Street (north side) from 15th to 18th StreetsCherry Street between 15th and 17th StreetsArch Street, from 15th to 17th StreetsWashington Avenue between 12th and 18th Streets
The Mummers Parade Where can I see it on TV in 2024?
The Mummers Parade can be seen for free anywhere along its 1.5-mile route, including designated performance spaces on Broad Street at Sansom, Pine, and Carpenter Streets (lawn chairs permitted).
Non-Philadelphians will be able to watch the Mummers Parade 2024 live on television! The Mummers Parade will be shown in 2024 “wherever you stream 6ABC,” according to the outlet. Mr. Mummer said that viewers can watch the event online at WFMZ-TV, on the WFMZ+ app, and on television at WDPN-TV.
