PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — It’s all hands on deck as the 124th annual Mummers Day Parade is just days away.
Sets are being worked on and dance routines are being perfected inside the Convention Center where 10 Fancy Brigade clubs will each perform 4 ½ minutes of Broadway-style productions on New Years Day.
Officials anticipate participation from around 10,000 costumed kids and adults.
For those who don’t know, there are five Mummers divisions: The Comic and Wench brigades, the Fancy division, the Fancy Brigades, and the String Bands.
The parade starts on 17th and Market streets around 9 a.m., passes City Hall, and then heads south on Broad Street to Washington Avenue.
There will be two shows — one at 11:30 a.m. and another at 5 p.m. inside the Convention Center. In between shows the brigades join other Mummer divisions to strut down Broad Street in the parade.
The indoor competition was introduced more than 25 years ago to promote tourism and give the entertainers a platform to shine.
“What was happening was that in addition to the tourism and hospitality industry, the productions of Fancy Brigades were getting so elaborate and so large that the staging to enhance that and the opportunity to do something even further landed us here at the Pennsylvania Convention Center and we have been here ever since,” said Anthony Stagliano, the Fancy Brigade Association’s business agent and a member of the Downtowners Club.
Navigating the city:
If you plan to drive into or around the city on Monday, officials warn of road closures and parking restrictions.
Starting 7 a.m. Monday, Broad Street will be closed to traffic from South Penn Square to Washington Avenue.
And beginning at 3 a.m., the following streets will be closed:
- 15th Street from Arch Street to Chestnut Street
- Market Street from 15th Street to 21st Street
- Benjamin Franklin Parkway from 16th Street to 20th Street
- North Broad Street from Cherry Street to John F. Kennedy Boulevard
- 16th Street from Chestnut Street to Race Street
- 17th Street from Ben Franklin Parkway to Ludlow Street
- 18th Street from Ludlow Street to Race Street
- 19th Street from Ben Franklin Parkway to Chestnut Street
- 1500 block of Ranstead Street
- 1300 block of Carpenter Street
- 1000 block of South 13th Street
- Chestnut Street from 15th Street to 18th Street (north side)
- Cherry Street from 15th Street to 17th Street
- Arch Street from 15th Street to 17th Street
- Washington Avenue from 12th Street to 18th Street
Temporary “No Parking” zones will be in effect from 2 a.m. to 6 p.m. on both sides of the streets. Here is a list of those restricted areas:
- Broad Street from Arch Street to Ellsworth Street
- Juniper Street from John F. Kennedy Boulevard to East Penn Square
- South/East Penn Square from 15th Street to Juniper Street
- Benjamin Franklin Parkway from 16th Street to 20th Street
- Logan Circle (north side)
- North Broad Street from Cherry Street to John F. Kennedy Boulevard
- 16th Street from Chestnut Street to Race Street
- 17th Street from Ben Franklin Parkway to Ludlow Street
- 18th Street from Ludlow Street to Race Street
- 19th Street from Ben Franklin Parkway to Chestnut Street
- 19th Street from John F. Kennedy Boulevard to Market Street
- 1500 block of Ranstead Street
- 1300 block of Carpenter Street
- 1000 block of South 13th Street
- Chestnut Street from 15th Street to 18th Street (north side)
- Cherry Street from 15th Street to 17th Street
- Arch Street from 15th Street to 17th Street
- Washington Avenue from 12th Street to 18th Street
The city encourages people to use SEPTA throughout the day. For a list of bus detours and other transit updates, click here.