New year, new Mummers: The parade will air on a different channel as organizers try to become more independent

The 2023 Mummers Parade, slated to return for the 123rd time on Jan. 1, is the start of a new era for the Philadelphia tradition, according to its organizers.

The parade will not air on PHL17, ending a more than 30-year tradition, and will broadcast on WDPN-TV (MeTV2) instead. What’s more, organizers who took charge of finding broadcast sponsors see the change as an opportunity to rely less on city funding for aspects of the parade in the future. Philly spent as much as $361,000 on city services in connection with the 2019 parade, per BillyPenn.

“It is important that we are able to raise the money to be able to fund this parade and take a lot of stress off the city and work with them as a partner than them having to foot the bill,” said Sam Regalbuto, president of String Band Association.

In previous years, PHL17 had found its own broadcast sponsors to air the event. But when negotiations with the Mummers and the station broke down amicably months ago, Regalbuto said, the Mummers set out to find sponsors that would help cover the broadcast costs.

“That’s what was the difficult part, to try and find the amount of money that we need to put on this major spectacle,” said Regalbuto. “It takes some time.”

He added that concerns about the economy made finding sponsors all the more difficult when asking for money, but Mummers found an enthusiastic partner in Live! Casino & Hotel, 2023′s title sponsor and what Regalbuto called the parade’s “savior.”

WDPN-TV (MeTV2) was just as crucial in ensuring the 2023 broadcast, shaving months of production lead time to make the show work.

“We generally like six months to plan something like this to get a crew together to interrupt their Jan. 1 plans, but that’s happened, we got it together,” said MeTV2 and WFMZ-TV president and GM Barry Fisher, jokingly adding that he hopes there’s no raincheck — the Mummers will be postponed if there is inclement weather — because it would add to costs.

Both of these partnerships were finalized this week. The arrangements are so fresh, Regalbuto said, they’re still calculating the final cost of airing the parade.

To cut broadcast-related expenses, the Mummers are partnering with IBEW Local 98, which will provide technical resources and staff to support the broadcast.

Despite this year’s scramble, Regalbuto is optimistic about making the parade self-sufficient for years to come.

By taking on the task of finding its own financial sponsors, organizers say, they can rely less on the city, which had covered the costs of judges, permits, and prize money in the past. The Mummers have taken over these costs and hope to take on more, though Regalbuto didn’t say what else the Mummers would pitch in on.

In the past, Philly officials have used city funding as leverage when asking Mummers to refrain from using blackface during the parade. In January 2020, Mayor Jim Kenney, a former Mummer, threatened to create a separate New Year’s Day parade to take the Mummers’ place if organizers didn’t do a better job of policing out-of-line members.

Asked if the desire to be more independent from the city had anything to do with past brushes with the officials, Regaluto said Mummers welcomed the feedback and sensitivity training imposed by the city.

» READ MORE: Given the Mummers’ history, will they ever manage to not offend?

“We welcome the sensitivity training, we welcome the bias training, we welcome all,” he said. “We need more members. We want more people to come on board and be a part of our parade. It is not exclusive.”

Regalbuto said organizers expect more than 10,000 adults and children dressed in silks and plumes will march from City Hall to Washington Avenue from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Bleacher tickets to catch the judging portion of the outdoor performances by Dilworth Park are available for purchase at Sixth and Market Streets in the Independence Visitor Center, as are tickets to see the Fancy Brigades perform, though people can catch the parade for free along Broad Street.

Special viewing areas where troupes will perform include: 17th and Market Streets, Broad and Sansom Streets in front of the Union League, Broad and Pine Streets, and Broad and Carpenter Streets.

The 2023 parade is slated to include one Fancy club, nine Wench Brigades, three Comic clubs, and 14 String Bands.

Those who can’t catch the parade in person can watch it on WDPN-TV (MeTV2) or stream on WFMZ.com, as well as the WFMZ+ app.