Details on Tomorrow's Mummer's Parade

One of the hottest and oldest events in town is scheduled to step off tomorrow, Thursday, January 1 at 10 a.m. when the city's beloved sequined Sultans of Strut, the Philadelphia Mummers, dust off their fancy golden slippers to take center stage in the spectacular 108th annual Mummers Parade.

The extravagant showcase of talent kicks off with the Comics Division at 10 a.m. at Broad Street and Washington Avenue, followed by the Fancy Division (at 10:30 a.m. at Broad Street and Snyder Avenue); the String Bands (at 10:20 a.m. at Broad Street and Oregon Avenue) and the Fancy Brigades (at 1:30 p.m. at Broad Street and Oregon Avenue). The Fancy Brigades are scheduled to march in the parade on Broad Street, from Oregon to Washington avenues, and will be judged at one of their indoor shows (rain or shine), while the remaining three Mummers' divisions will end their competitive performances at the City Hall judging areas in Center City.

The parade this year is scheduled to be about 6½ hours in length. The first string bands are expected to arrive at City Hall by 2 p.m.

From performance areas to the marching lineup and history, the following provides information to keep in golden stride and catch all of the action with the nation's oldest continuous folk festival.

Route: North on Broad Street to City Hall.

Judging: The main judging stand for the String Bands, Comics and Fancies will be located at 15th and Market streets. Additional judging will take place at judging booths along the parade route for some Comics (Union League, Broad and Sansom Streets and University of the Arts Building, Broad and Pine Streets) and Fancies (University of the Arts Building, Broad and Pine streets). Some Comic clubs also will be judged at 15th and Market Streets Twelve judges will score the String Bands, while six judges will rate the Fancy units and nine, the Comic units. The Fancy Brigades will be judged by eight judges at the 12th annual Fancy Brigade Finale in the Pennsylvania Convention Center, 12th and Arch Streets, beginning at 5 p.m. No prize money will be awarded.

Parade Starting Time & Location: Comics start at 10 a.m., Broad Street and Washington Avenue, Fancy Division Starts at 10 :30 a.m. at Broad Street and Snyder Avenue, String Bands step off from Broad Street and Oregon Avenue at 10:30 a.m., followed by the Fancy Brigade Division, which will march from Broad Street and Oregon Avenue, north to Washington Avenue.

Disband: Benjamin Franklin Parkway, between 16th and 20th streets.

Information Headquarters: Department of Recreation, One Parkway 1515 Arch St.,10th Floor, 215-683-3691 or 683-3595.

Command Center: One Parkway Building, 1515 Arch Street, and 1st floor, Municipal Services Building, 1450 JFK Plaza, 215-683-3690.

Weather Conditions: In case of inclement weather, a marching decision will be made by 4 a.m. January 1 at the Command Center at MSB by the two directors of each division (Comic, Fancy, String Band and Fancy Brigades). The Managing Director, Director of Special Events, Recreation Commissioner, and the City Parade Director are usually present. Their decision will be telephoned to parade information headquarters. KYW 1060 AM Newsradio also will broadcast whether the parade is on or off, as soon as the decision is made. If it is inclement weather, the parade will not be delayed and postponed to another day. The media can also obtain information of marching decision by calling information headquarters at 215-683-3690 or 683-3667.

Postponement dates: Saturday, January 3, 2009. If the parade is postponed on the rescheduled date of January 3, then the parade will be held on Sunday, January 4, weather permitting.

Public Transportation: SEPTA will reroute all public transit on the parade route and around City Hall for the parade. SEPTA bus Routes 2, 7, 17, 23, 27, 29, 31, 32, 33, 37, 38, 44, 48, 57, 64, 68, 79, 124/125, C and G will operate on local detours in and around Center City during the parade. The SEPTA Customer Service (215-580-7800), will be open, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., on New Year's Eve and, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. New Year's Day for riders seeking information about scheduled services. SEPTA service information also is available on SEPTA's web site at www.septa.org

Streets Department: Streets Department will have Mechanical Brooms and Compactors at Broad & Snyder to follow Comics, at Broad & Washington to follow the String Bands, and at Broad & Oregon to follow the Fancy Brigades.

About the Participants

Participating are three parent clubs in the Comic Division; four parent organizations in the Fancy Division; 18 groups in the String Band Division and 11 units in the Fancy Brigade Division. The Goodtimers Comic Club (Comics), Golden Sunrise Fancy Club (Fancy Division), Aqua (String Bands) and Saturnalian (Fancy Brigades) officially will kick-off their respective divisions in the marching order.

Scheduled designated performance areas are:

Broad and Shunk Streets
Broad and Ritner Streets. (near Thomas Jefferson University Methodist Hospital Division)
Broad Street and Washington Avenue
Broad and Pine streets (near University of the Arts Bldg.; this location is only a performance area for Comics and Fancies.)
Broad and Sansom Streets (near Union League)
Judging areas (near City Hall)

Scheduled food vending areas are:

Broad and Moravian Streets (near Walnut St.)
Broad and Bach Streets (near Locust St.)
Broad and Pine Streets
Broad Street and Washington Avenue
City Hall (west side)
Various selected performance areas on South Broad Street in South Philadelphia

TV Broadcast:

My PHL 17 will televise the Broad Street parade including the comic, fancy and string band divisions live in high definition in its entirety, beginning at 9 a.m. with the special pre-parade feature "Breakfast with the Mummers."

WGN AMERICA will televise a portion of the parade on Saturday, January 3, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., nationally. My PHL 17 also will televise the Fancy Brigade Finale indoor show at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, in a tape-delayed broadcast, from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on New Year's Day.

Fancy Brigade Finale

The 2009 Mummers Fancy Brigade Finale at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, 12th and Arch sts., invites residents and visitors to enjoy a Mummers performance in a warm, exciting environment rain or shine on Thursday, January 1, 2009.

With elaborate, larger-than-life costumes and props and themes coming to life, 11 Fancy Brigade clubs and more than 2,500 Fancy Brigade performers participate in two shows; the family show at noon and the evening show at 5 p.m.

For more information, log onto: www.fancybrigade.com

2009 Mummers Parade Lineup and Marching Positions

Comic Division

1. Goodtimers
2. Murray
3. Landi
4. Wench brigades

Fancy Division

1. Golden Sunrise
2. Hog Island
3. Adelphia

String Band Division

1. Aqua
2. Irish American
3. Broomall
4. Greater Overbrook
5. Trilby
6. Durning
7. Uptown
8. Woodland
9. Duffy
10. Hegeman
11. Ferko
12. Avalon
13. Polish American
14. Quaker City
15. Greater Kensington
16. S. Philadelphia
17. Fralinger
18. Pennsport

Fancy Brigade Division

1. Saturnalians
2. Cahill's
3. 2nd Street Shooters
4. Satin Slippe
5. Shooting Stars
6. Jokers
7. South Philly Vikings
8. Clevemore
9. Avenuers
10. Downtowners
11. Golden Crown

The History of the Mummers

Mummery dates back to ancient Roman laborers who ushered in the festival of Saturnalia by marching in masks while exchanging gifts and satirizing the issues of the day.

Locally, during the 1600s, Swedish settlers to Philadelphia dressed up, chanted and fired weapons in the air to honor Christmas; they entertained their amused neighbors in exchange for desserts and beverages. The tradition eventually moved to New Year's Day and evolved into a series of neighborhood parades. As immigrants moved to the area from Ireland and Italy, each group added their own cultural flavor to the local customs.

In 1901, the tradition began in earnest with the first recognized and judged Mummers Parade organized by the city on Broad Street.

The famous term "Mummer" is German and means "to costume or masquerade."

Established with just a few hundred revelers, today more than 10,000 participate in the parade.