Mummers Parade

Ruckus beyond imagination and it just goes on and on! I was told not only is it 8 – 10 hours long but «officially» stops when the police start arresting people. Wow, this subcultural event is nothing I’d even heard of before so when we booked a hotel room above the parade Main Street we had no clue how loud and long it was going to be going.
Costumes, floats, and even big band entertainment really has never been better. Think Mardi Gras all day long and in a much more metro environment with a splash of Thanksgiving Day parade added for crowd density! Our solution was to buy tickets to a sit down indoor performance that showcased the best performers. 2 ½ min each, 3 hours of entertainment, daunting.

Of all the years I have lived right outside of Philly, this was the first time I attended the parade. Not only did I attend, but I actually was in it! I had been down to «two street» before for the after party, but never actually went for the strut to city hall. I must say, wow! What an experience! The mummers might get a bad rap sometimes, but this was so much fun! Especially if you like blackberry brandy :) Waking up so early was the only downfall. The dancing, the singing, the string bands, the costumes, the fun, the crowds, and even the nice weather made for an amazing start to the new year! I know this certainly won’t be my last time attending a mummers parade!

This was the worse parade I’ve seen in years — you can’t go down Broad Street– go back to going up Broad– once they are judged they don’t care. Hated how fancy mixed in with String Banda so confusing! Once we moved around to City Hall parade much better. But it’s not a parade any more just a show! I’ve been going for 53 years might be my last #very disappointed

The actors playing the dinosaurs were wearing pants that were a different color than the dinosaur costumes. Seeing the actors so clearly really ruined the illusion for me; I had initially believed they were real dinosaurs.

How anyone can give this 100+ year old tradition less than 5 stars is beyond me. I have never seen entertainment this good and I am from an art and musical family! When other performances make you wish it would continue, (and some make you GLAD it’s over), happily, this parade goes on and on. This parade ends only when everyone is really tired — after about 10 continuous hours. The history and organization of this parade is astounding. My favorite part is the string bands — the only type of performer I’ve ever known of that really plays all types of music all the time — classical, jazz, country, rock music from every part of the world — really everything yet, it’s all played in the unique Philadelphia Mummers style. Also everything about the parade changes with the times, as appropriate, yet keeps the traditions.

what an amazing way to spend the first day of the new year! very enjoyable… all the mummers work so hard throughout the year to prep for this day… and they definitely made up for the drunk rowdy jerks lining broad st.

Shit show is the only phrase I can think of to describe the Mummers Parade. There were so many people. Open containers and littering in plain view of the police. Kind of felt like I was on Bourbon in the Big Easy.

One of my favorite things in life to do! If you like to party, this is your day. Either stay in on NYE or don’t sleep at all, bc you’ll be partying at 10am come new year’s day. Once the official parade has passed you by, make your way to 2ndSt where the real party begins around 6pm. It is Philly’s Mardi Gras on 2^nd St. Mayhem and Craziness, not for the faint of heart. BUT A GREAT TIME IS HAD IF YOU GO!

The Mummers Parade has a long and storied history. It has its roots in European Christmas and New Year’s celebrations, and its unofficial origins in Philadelphia are centuries old. There’s nothing else like the parade and it’s definitely one of the most archetypal Philadelphian institutions.
I go way back with the Mummers. My uncle lives a stone’s throw from Broad Street, and when I was a kid my family would always spend New Year’s Day going back and forth between shivering outside at the parade and warming up inside watching on TV the bands who had marched by twenty minutes earlier. The parade has changed somewhat since the old days, but it’s still a one-​of-​a-​kind spectacle that really should be experienced in person.
Tip: Check out the parade route beforehand. Gone are the days when it was reliably held on South Broad.
is probably your best bet. Then, you can use Unilocal to find bars where you can take breaks from the cold. Remember: drinking in public is not allowed. Be discreet.
Tip: State liquor stores are closed on New Year’s Day.

Only Philadelphia throws a huge party first thing in the morning after New Years Eve!!!
It took me years to finally be in town for the parade, but I LOVED IT! It was sooo much fun. We got up and had a healthy breakfast of pizza and beer in the apartment, and on the way out the door the first encounter was two random mummers walking down the street in full attire, asking us if we wanted to smoke some pot with them. Totally set the tone for the whole day. We passed, but they did let us get a picture with them.
When we got to Broad Street I was blown away, by the parade, by the energy of the crowd, just so much fun! People in the streets were selling beers, feather boas, and other carnival gear. I just had a blast. Four stars because there are no bathrooms, which was essential. You can duck into a Starbucks, but the lines are atrocious. Also be prepared for pretty serious cold– you might not feel it at first if you pre game, but eventually you’ll realize you’re numb.
Just a great day, even better than NYE!

Yea I am a Broad & Snyder crowd lol Great time here for over 40 years now

I was there! I rolled up to Broad and Washington around 10:45am and was able to get standing space on the gate in about 20 minutes. We were just south of washington and we weren’t able to really see the Mummers doing their routines because we were too north.
We did get to see them parading happily though. This is definitely something you have to check out if you’re in Philly New Year’s Day. Also… if you’re driving, this SUCKS because Broad St. is overtaken.

The best !!!

This parade was a lot of fun and was full of entertainment. The costumes are all so bright and nicely designed. It’s nice that everyone is in a happy mood watching them. Even more fun was 2 street at the very end of the parade. The streets are full of people drinking (open in public, which is totally fine at this event) and it’s hard to even stay with your group because there’s so many people. Make sure you bring beer in a bag to this event, because it can be expensive buying beers at the bars along the way. Definitely something to see if your in Philadelphia for NYE. Like another said, it’s almost worth not going out on NYE to be able to see this on New Year’s day.

Philadelphia at its finest.
The Mummers parade is a New Year’s tradition I just can’t live without. It is an entire day filled with wild colors and sounds and people you just can’t find anywhere else.
Absolute MUST SEE if you’re in town on New Year’s Day. You are guaranteed to enjoy yourself and meet many interesting characters along the way!

I have been hearing about this so called «Mummers Parade» since the day I moved to Philly.
DO NOT MISS THE MUMMERS PARADE. In fact, I am trying to convince my friends from NY to journey across the state of NJ to come to Philly on New Year’s Day next year.
I must say, the parade is hilarity at its finest. It makes me want to not drink on NYE and save my liver for a all day binge fest for the Mummers Parade on NYD.
I repeat, do NOT miss the mummers parade… You will be missing out on KEY philly culture.

Words cannot describe the weirdness that is the Mummers Parade. Maybe you have to be from Philadelphia to truly appreciate it, but it did provide several hours of entertainment.
We really only stuck around for the wench and comic brigades which were drunkenly raucous and highly amusing (some even had brass band accompaniment). Other groups/​individuals seemed slightly political and there were a lot of Lady Gaga references. We were also treated to a rap about staying in school from a clown/​hobo type character.
Keep in mind that you can totally stay in bed and nurse that NYE-​induced hangover because the parade seriously lasts 7 hours (we dvr’d the entire thing and the commentary is pretty hilarious). Definitely watch it on tv if it’s super cold (we lucked out with very mild temps and sunshine this year). The fancy brigades and floats come later in the day (which we didn’t stick around for, but saw on tv when we watched the recording later).
Anyway, it’s an experience for sure and I would highly recommend that you check it out if you ever find yourself in Philadelphia on NYDay!

I have watched it on TV and live in the freezing cold.
Both are great fun — and this is one heck of a LONG parade.
It takes the whole day.
Nothing like watching Sou-​filly plummers and electricians wear feathered headdresses and shake their butts to the beat.
My little girl ADORES them.
Fancy Brigades are my faves — and she loves the comics especially Froggie Carr’s crew. Also Fralinger’s and the South Philly Vikings!
Oh and the string bands are fun, too.

I went to my first Mummer’s parade ever this year even though I’ve been in Philadelphia for the long run. Since I have cousins who have lived close to Broad for a long time, and friends who live on second street in South Philly I don’t know why it’s taken me so long either!
But I was in awe over it the entire time. it’s one of those things that you can only really see in person to fully believe no matter how much you hear about it. Due to the three hour delay it took awhile to get the parade part on Broad fully revved up. but it was a trip watching the various bands come across, as well as seeing the drunken behavior of the crowd.
The best part of of the entire day was definitely going to 2^nd street. It’s the home base for a lot of the mummers clubhouses so it’s party central. We’re talking the Philadelphia version of Mardi Gras — all kinds of music on the street, many acts of public drunkenness but nothing too rowdy, and plenty of people celebrating the New Year in good spirits. It might just be my pick for one of the best outdoor parties ever, no matter how cold it is!

I only went to the Mummers Parade once. I had pulled an all nighter, and was really hungover/​drunk from many shots of tequila the night before. We had stayed up and waited to go to the New Convention Center because they were supposedly giving away free scrapple. Something set into effect by Mayor Rendell. We didn’t exactly sober up, but at a certain point we decided that free scrapple wasn’t such a good idea. So we went to Mummers Parade. It was really cold and everyone around me was «brown baggin» it. Some people were just blatanly drinking with exposed cans/​bottles. The cops didn’t seem to care. It was pretty fun, but we didn’t stay long as frostbite was starting to become evident.