Mummers season is in full swing, starting with Mummersfest rehearsal

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- Mummersfest has begun! Brigades are marching over to the Pennsylvania Convention Center to put a year's worth of planning into practice. They'll be riding this non-stop wave of music, dancing, and family all the way to New Year's Day.

Many shows include props that will only appear at the indoor performances and not during the trip down Broad Street. They feature plenty of towering backdrops, metallic fixtures and hand-painted artwork.

This afternoon, clubs came together to kick off the festivities with the first of their official rehearsals of the 2019-2020 season. However, the work truly begins as early in the year as January 2nd. Amanda Ettinger of the Avenuers Fancy Brigade tells us they start brainstorming when watching back the tape from New Year's Day!

The annual Mummers Parade rings in on Wednesday, January 1, 2020. If you can't wait that long, guests can get a sneak preview Monday night at 6:00pm at the PA Convention Center. The brigades will perform without their costumes to give you a taste of the new year.