Best Places to Watch the Mummers Parade

Tomorrow marks the start of the new year and everyone knows how Philadelphians like to celebrate - watching the Mummers strut their stuff up Broad St.

The parade, which begins at 10 a.m., starts in South Philadelphia and ends at City Hall, with approximately 8 hours of pageantry in-between.

Officials from the city suggest that spectators leave their cars behind and use public transportation to get into the city (although if you get there early enough, there is plenty of parking).

If you are planning to head to the city to watch the parade from the sidewalk along Broad St., be sure to on get to the parade route early and set up near a drill location, where the String Bands and Fancy Brigades stop to perform.

According to VisitPhilly.com, these spots are at the intersection of Broad and: City Hall, Sansom, Pine, Washington, Ritner and Shunk.

If you can't find a space there, a second option is to watch from a staging area. VisitPhilly.com says those are: Broad Street and Washington Avenue for the Comics at 10 a.m., Broad and Moore Streets for Fancies at 10:30 a.m., and Broad Street and Oregon Avenue for String Bands at 11 a.m.

However, Fancy Brigades (the most iconic looking of the Mummers) only get as far as Washington Ave. and then head to the convention center, where they put on two (ticketed) Broadway-style performances in the afternoon – one at noon and one at 5 p.m.

Of course, the best place to watch the show is from the judging stands at City Hall, but tickets for these seats must be reserved in advance from the Independence Visitors Center. (This is also where you can purchase tickets for the Fancies shows at the convention center.)

So make a day of it, enjoy the parade and all the city has to offer, and start a new family New Year’s Day tradition.

Happy 2012!