PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The city is preparing for its 123rd Mummers Parade on New Year’s Day. On Friday afternoon, the whizzing of drills and the echoes of hammers rang through Center City as crews assembled bleachers outside City Hall for ticket-holding spectators to watch the Mummers step off on Sunday.
No-parking signs were hung, and a lot of the fencing was in place or ready to be moved into position, along and near the parade route. SEPTA will detour 24 bus routes, as well.
And 10,000 costumed performers were dusting off, tuning up and getting ready at their respective clubs to strut into the new year.
Among them was 33-year-old Michael Donnelly of Saturnalian Fancy Brigade. The club is doing a pirate theme for Sunday’s parade.
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“We got some last-minute things that we got to finish up, as usual, but the drill is pretty much set,” Donnelly said. “It’s more finishing up the props — you know, last-minute details and touches to make everything shine, or turn wood into a whole city in the Caribbean. So we’re going out there, guns blazing, and do what we do.”
At 9 a.m. on New Year’s Day, the parade will start at City Hall with performances from the Comics, Wench Brigades, Fancies, String Bands and Fancy Brigades, and continue south on Broad Street, with further performance stops at Sansom Street, Pine Street and Carpenter Street. The end of the route is at Washington Avenue, and festivities will wrap up around 5 p.m.
After the Fancy Brigades strut down Broad Street with the other Mummers, they will compete in two indoor ticketed shows at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
