Mummers Parade will be back on Broad Street in Philadelphia for New Year's Day 2022
The Mummers are returning after last year's parade was canceled due to the pandemic.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A truly Philadelphia tradition will be back on Broad Street on New Year's Day 2022.
Details on the parade were released Tuesday.
The 2022 Mummers Parade will kick off at 9 a.m. at City Hall, then make its way down Broad Street, ending at Washington Avenue.
Organizers are excited to have the Mummers perform along the Avenue of the Arts.
"When you hear about music and design and character and dancing, that all encompasses the Mummers. And the Mummers are the art spectrum of Philadelphia," said City Councilman Mark Squilla.
Membership spans generations and the city tradition spans over a century.
But in 2020, Mayor Jim Kenney threatened to stop future parades after a couple of Mummers were dressed in blackface.
And last year, the pandemic canceled official celebrations, but hundreds of Mummers still marched in "protest."
"We did bias and awareness training," said Sam Regalbuto, president of the String Band Association. "All of our organizations are obligated to take this training."
"It's been nonstop since COVID to make it right, and do what we have to do to make this parade last another 122 years," added Tom Knight, president of the Fancy Brigade.
This year festivities will be scaled down as many of the groups were impacted financially by the pandemic. Officials are asking those in attendance to follow CDC guidelines to stay safe.
"We want to celebrate the fact that after these two years, we've survived. Now we're hopefully moving on to better times," said Regalbuto.
The parade is free and open to the public.
