The Space 1026 Mummers collective, the Vaudevillains, are this week's City Paper cover story. Ryan Creed looks into how a bunch of art school kids invaded the ranks of the Mummers brigades.The Vaudevillains will be marching 4th in line, starting at 8:45 from Broad and Washington and will be performing in front of City Hall. Be sure to catch them in person or on TV."They're going to laugh at us! We're the Bad News Bears of the Mummers!"
The New Year's Day Mummers Parade is one of Philadelphia's oldest and most popular traditions, second only to Independence Day. Despite its size, familiarity with the parade is still largely confined to the Delaware Valley. Having roots dating before the Civil War, the parade was officially recognized by the city government in 1901, and its present-day incarnation still shares much with the past: Members of Mummers brigades (largely South Philadelphia men of European descent) wear flamboyant costumes and perform choreographed dances with a rowdy, public drunkenness akin to Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
Citypaper: Never Mind the Sequins, What the Hell Are the Space 1026 Kids Doing in the Mummers Parade?
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