The 2016 Philadelphia Mummers Parade will pay tribute to the City’s ever-growing cultural and ethnic diversity by stepping off Friday, Jan. 1, 2016 with a brand new Philadelphia Division created in the spirt of diversifying the Parade’s participants and spectators with an emphasis on dance, music and costumes.
Mummers fans from near and far are invited to Broad Street where the Mummers Parade kicks off at City Hall an hour earlier than in previous years – at 9:00 am. Spectators can enjoy the Parade from three special performance zones as more than 10,000 glittering and colorful Mummers strut and dance down Broad Street. The parade route will take the performing groups down Broad Street from City Hall to Washington Avenue.
New Philadelphia “Diversity” Division:
The 2016 Philadelphia Mummers Parade features six divisions, each with its own artistry, sound and customs. Leading the Parade is the newly established Philadelphia Division, with the San Mateo Carnavaleros, a joyful, raucous group of vibrant costumed dancers leading off the parade, along with the Second 2 None drill team from West Philadelphia, and the “Miss Fancy” Brigade – an LGBT group comprised of the leading female impersonators in Philadelphia.
Fancy Division:
Next comes the Fancy Division, with their sequin-studded lavish costumes and feathered glamour, followed by the men of the Wench brigades in bonnets and bloomers, waving multi-tiered parasols. Then it’s the Comics, who parody current political issues and pop culture. Finally, after all 17 are judged, the legendary String Bands in glorious costumes will march down Broad Street entertaining the crowds with their intricate musical arrangements combining string, reed and percussion instruments. Interspersed among the String Bands in the Parade on Broad Street will be the Fancy Brigades, hot off their noon performance at the Pennsylvania
Convention Center, dressed head-to-toe in sequined costumes, masks, and makeup.
For the ultimate view of the Philadelphia Division’s, the Fancies’, Wenches’, Comics’ and String Bands’ first performance before the Judges, the Grand Stand entertainment zone, on Dilworth Plaza at 15th and Market Streets, will feature more than 1,200 ticketed bleacher seats. Additional drill spots are located at the Union League at Broad and Sansom Streets and at Broad and Carpenter Streets.
Fancy Brigade Finale:
Sometimes described as a cross between a Broadway show and Mardi Gras, the Mummers Fancy Brigade Finale, with its elaborate costumes and massive props, is a two-and-a-half-hour, stunning, colorful, high-energy showcase of 11 masterfully choreographed, four-and-a-half-minute routines set to high-energy music. More than 2,500 Fancy Brigade performers, divided among 11 Fancy Brigade clubs, with each working for one full year to create the themes, costumes, props and drills that comprise the show and dazzle the audiences.
Tickets for the Mummers Fancy Brigade Finale at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, 11th and Arch streets in Philadelphia, went on sale October 1, 2015. Reserved, center section tickets for the noon family show and the 5:00 p.m. judged show are $25; reserved seats and the two side sections are $20. Tickets for groups of 15 or more are $18 and $23. Groups greater than 45 receive two complimentary tickets. Children ages three and younger are admitted free. Food and refreshments are available for purchase at both shows. To order tickets, please visit www.comcasttix.com or call 1 800-298-4200. Tickets can also be purchased at the Independent Visitors Center. For information on booking a group tour with the Mummers Fancy Brigades, contact Fred Keller via email at contact@fancybrigade.com.
MummersFest:
Another family friendly activity for fans is MummersFest at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, a four-day intereactive festival from Monday, December 28 through Thursday, December 31 where attendees can make-n-take crafts, try on authentic Mummers costumes for picture taking, and watch the clubs rehearse their drills. Knowledgeable or parade savvy veteran Mummers, all former club captains, lead 30 minute backstage tours of the show props and floats.
MummersFest hours are: Monday, December 4:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.; Tuesday, December 29, 4:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.; Wednesday, December 30, 4:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.; Thursday, December 31, Noon – 6:00 p.m.. Tickets are available at the door of the Pennsylvania Convention Center, at the Independent Visitors Center and via ComcastTix, for $4 per person.
For more than a century, the Mummers have marched on New Year’s Day while displaying over-the-top creative costumes, music and pageantry. The Philadelphia Mummers Parade began in 1900 as a way to celebrate the New Year and is one of the longest running traditions in the country. For more information, visit www.phillymummers.com.
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