Mummers Parade 2022 advance in Philadelphia

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Will there be a Mummers parade in 2022?

Now that the summer is over, at least unofficially, and the kids are back to school, that’s a perfectly legitimate question to ask, especially in light of the fact that the city has banned the 2021 Mummers Parade in due to COVID issues. The answer is that while no official decision has been announced, the Rope Groups, Maiden Brigades, Comics and other divisions of Mummers across the region are moving forward with the understanding that the Mummers Parade 2022 takes place, according to Mummers insiders we spoke with. .

“We plan to do some type of show ”, explains Nick Magenta, captain of the Polish-American String Band. “We don’t intend to do what we normally do, just because much of 2021 has been a wait. It looked good around Memorial Day, but then these variations popped up.

Magenta explains that normally September is when her string orchestra rehearses several days a week for the January 1 parade. But as of now, they’re sticking to one day a week just in case the city does unplug, although he doesn’t expect that to happen.

“The parade is definitely on,” a representative from another large Mummers group told us, provided we didn’t mention their group or name. Senior officials at the main Mummers organization, who did not respond to our request for comment, told him to remain silent until they make the official announcement, which is expected within next week.

“If the Mummers Parade was scheduled for today, it would go as planned,” Philadelphia Department of Health spokesperson James Garrow told Philly Mag. After all, there is no longer a moratorium on major events in Philadelphia or restrictions on crowd size. This is why several thousand people were able to crowd onto the Ben Franklin Parkway less than two weeks ago for the Made In America festival. Of course, Made In America organizers demanded that all attendees provide proof of COVID vaccination or a negative COVID test result to enter, and once inside the gates, all attendees were required to wear masks.

Garrow stressed that masking is required at this time for any outdoor event without seating with over 1,000 spectators. But it’s September and the parade only takes place in January, so it’s hard to say what kinds of restrictions will be in place at that time. The mask’s warrant could be lifted. Or the restrictions could become more severe.

“Because this event is still over three months away and no similar event is planned, I cannot comment on what the application of a mask requirement would look like,” added Garrow. “If the parade had taken place today, the city would have developed and issued guidelines. “

A spokesperson for Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said talks between the city and Mummers leaders over the Mummers 2022 Parade are “ongoing.”

In July 2020, Kenney declared a moratorium on all major public events until the end of February 2021, thus canceling the 2021 Mummers Parade, which would have taken place on January 1. This was only the third time in Mummers history that the parade had been canceled, the last time in the 1930s. Of course, the Mummers being the Mummers, some thug groups had secretly planned to hold their own parade. in 2021, although in the end there was not a huge turnout.

“I want to participate, but I don’t know if I want to take that kind of risk,” a Mummers regular told me when I asked him if he was planning to be part of a 2022 Mummers show. that participating in the Mummers Parade “is like everyone in town in your face”.

Two frequent Mummers attendees we spoke with said that while they wanted to participate, sponsorships and fundraisers in the COVID era aren’t as easy to find as they used to be. So the money may not be there.

“There have been so many uncertainties,” says Magenta. “And then there’s the weather. Let’s just say hope that the weather is the biggest obstacle we have. Hopefully it’s not four degrees outside.