The Mummers Day Parade, held every New Year’s Day in Philadelphia, is know for its flamboyant costumes and boisterous participants. And this coming January 1, a troupe of drag queens will be leading the String Bands down Washington Avenue, where they’ll join up with the legendary Fancy Brigades.
Marching
in the inaugural sashay is Brittany Lynn (right) and her Drag Mafia, including Crystal Electra, Alexis Cartier, Misses P., Porcelain, Bridgette Jones, Stella D’Oro, Mary D’ Knight, Navaya Shay and Cherry Pop.
“We are all honored and thrilled to be asked to march down Broad Street with the Mummers in such a great Philly tradition,” says Lynn. “Then to be the ‘hype men’ for the amazing Fancy Brigades… is just beyond words,”
The 102-year-old parade culminates at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, where each queen will perform a ten-minute routine.
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Below, check out Behind the Sequins, a which follows parade planners as they make costumes, design sets and choreograph routines.
Behind the Sequins: Showtime for the Philadelphia Mummers is a new, six-part video series showing the lead up to the “Mummers Day” parade. (New Year’s Day = Mummers Day in Philadelphia.) The 90-second segments, produced by the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, tell the Mummers’ story through the people who make the costumes, choreograph the routines, build the sets and march—and have for generations. Videos will be posted on www.visitphilly.com/newyears (click on “Mummers”). A new video will debut each Friday for five consecutive weeks, viewable at the same website.
jerry_pritikin
There was a time that blacks could not march in the Mummer’s day Parade in the City of Brotherly Love! Thankfully then, the City was going to revoke their parade Permit because of the new Civil Rights law of 1964. Seeing Drag Queens in the Parade is a welcome sight. They are always at their best with boas and feathers!
Meowzer
Living not far from Philly, and having seen more than my share of Mummers parades, the people marching already are just one sashay away from being drag queens. The feathers, the sparkles, the strutting. Please. The only thing different is it’s OFFICIAL they’re are drag queens in the Mummers parade.
JAW
Lets be honest… nobody REALLY watches the parade… New Years Day in Philly is Freaking COLD… all anyone does is “Say” they are going to the Parade… run over to Broad Street… snap a few pics so u can say You were there… run back to the bars… if it is morning you are doing “hair of the dog” bloody Marys… if it is afternoon or evening… then you are taking notes and pics of the guys still drunk from new years eve or drunk again from the hair of the dog drinks that have had all day… LOL
Actually New Years is a great time to be in The City of Brotherly Love
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