Philadelphia’s elaborate 120-year-old New Year’s celebration known as the Mummers Parade will take a more rebellious form in 2021. Friday’s event was branded as a “peaceful protest” against the city’s mayor, Jim Kenney, who canceled the traditional parade because of the coronavirus pandemic.
More than 11,000 people have said on Facebook that they will attend the scaled-down event, which will not be televised. Usually, hundreds of thousands line the parade route, watching an array of groups in often-outlandish costumes march through the city.
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City officials did not issue any permits and said they hoped that protesters would avoid unsafe behavior.
This is not the first time the city’s traditional celebration has been enveloped in controversy. In 2019, at least two members of one of the brigades marched while wearing blackface, and racist skits and imagery have been commonplace throughout the parade’s history. In January 2020, Kenney threatened to cancel the parade if change did not take place.
Although some marchers will still take to the streets Friday, some who traditionally attend the celebration will be skipping out.
Ryan Green, a saxophone player from Cherry Hill, New Jersey, who usually marches with the Pennsport Stringband every year, said he would miss the sense of community he had while playing alongside his bandmates.
“As we get closer to the parade, I see them more than my own family,” Green said.
(Author: Heather Fletcher)/(Copyright: c.2021 The New York Times Company)
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