Ten days into 2026, the Mummers got another day in the spotlight as part of the city’s celebrations of America’s 250th birthday.
Saturday’s rain and cold temperatures did not offer ideal parade weather. Luckily, the Mummers’ celebrations — part of the Philadelphia Historic District’s “52 Weeks of Firsts” — were inside at the Mummers Museum in South Philadelphia’s Pennsport neighborhood.
“This is a unique and special tradition in the city of Philadelphia. There’s nothing like it,” said Mark Montanaro, curator of the museum.
The “52 Weeks of Firsts” were set up to showcase a variety of marvels, inventions and events that first happened here in Philly.
The Mummers Parade was Week Two of the “firsts,” and recognized as America’s oldest folk parade. While the New Year’s Day parade began in 1901, the tradition of mummery in Philadelphia actually dates back to as early as 1640, Montanaro said.
This year’s parade went on in spite of an early-morning snow squall and high winds. The Mummers still strutted — though the string band competition was suspended for safety reasons and will now take place at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31, in Lincoln Financial Field.
The Mummers “firstival” kicked off with a string band performance, followed by speeches from Montanaro and Philadelphia Historic District 250th Committee co–chairs Amy Needle and Vince Stango.
From there, visitors participated in interactive activities, such as designing a Mummer outfit and adding decorations to the museum’s “#1” sculpture — one of 52 placed around the city, designed and hand-painted by 25 local artists through Mural Arts — designed by sculptor and muralist Anh Ly. Guests could also tour the museum, which is celebrating its 50th year.
Once Upon A Nation storyteller Jackson Pavlik recapped the history of the Mummers Parade, including its origins from the “Second-Day Christmas” celebrations brought by Swedish immigrants, the integration of English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh and German cultures into the festivities, and the city’s attempts to restrict — and eventually embrace — the parade.
The inaugural “firstival” was held on Saturday, Jan. 3, at the Athenaeum, celebrating the first successful balloon flight in America on Jan. 9, 1793. French aeronaut Jean-Pierre Blanchard had piloted the hydrogen-filled balloon from the yard of Walnut Street Prison and, after about 45 minutes in the air, landed in a cleared field in Gloucester County, New Jersey. Beth Shalom Hessel, the executive director of the Atheneum, said the event drew between 300 and 400 people over the course of the day.
“What I really enjoyed hearing from a number of people is that their goal for the year is to attend every single one of the 52 celebrations,” she said. “And I hope a lot of people are going to be able to do that, because every single one is going to be different. There’s going to be a different story, a different piece of our history.”
Patrick and Kathy Fitzsimmons visited the museum for the first time, with their three children. They have watched the New Year’s Day parade on TV and along Broad Street, and have gone to see performers strut, Patrick said. So visiting the museum had been on their to-do list.
“I enjoyed hearing the band live in person,” he said. Watching his kids, he noted, “Looks like they’re busy with the craft [station] and they’re busy eating pretzels. So everyone’s happy.”
The “firstival” also offered groups like Mummers for Veterans and Mummers Against Cancer the chance to show the wider public that the Mummers community is about more than just music and partying one day a year.
“It’s hard sometimes because of [that] perception,” said George Balzer, the chairman of Mummers Against Cancer. “People think of Mummers as just one day, but [we are] constantly here to help the community in different ways, through this or other festivals or ways.”
In the coming weeks
Here is the complete list of other firsts being highlighted this year, along with the upcoming Saturday “firstival” dates and locations.
The first:
Volunteer fire company (1736)
Jan. 17, Fireman’s Hall Museum, 147 N. 2nd St.
Professional basketball league (1898)
Jan. 24, Xfinity Mobile Arena, 3601 S. Broad St.
Public Girl Scout cookie sale (1932)
Jan. 31, PECO Building, 2301 Market St.
African Methodist Episcopal congregation (1794)
Feb. 7, Mother Bethel AME Church, 419 S. 6th St.
Abolitionist society in America (1775)
Feb. 14, African American Museum in Philadelphia, 701 Arch St.
Authentic Chinese gate built in America (1984)
Feb. 21, Crane Building, 1400 N. American St.
Public protest against slavery in America (1688)
Feb. 28, Historic Germantown Mennonite Meetinghouse, 6119 Germantown Ave.
Flower Show (1829)
March 7, Pennsylvania Convention Center, 1101 Arch St.
Women’s medical college (1850)
March 14, Health Sciences Building, Drexel University, 60 N. 36th St.
Match folder (1892)
March 21, Science History Institute, 315 Chestnut St.
The first medical school in America (1765)
March 28, Perelman School of Medicine, 3400 Civic Center Blvd.
Stadium in America (1895)
April 4, Franklin Field, 235 S. 33rd St.
Circus performance in America (1793)
April 11, Philadelphia School of Circus Arts, 6452 Greene St.
Botanical garden (1728)
April 18, Bartram’s Garden, 5400 Lindbergh Blvd.
Postmaster (1737)
April 25, Franklin Court, 322 Market St.
American-made piano and sousaphone (1775 and 1893)
May 2, Ensemble Arts Philly, 300 S. Broad St.
Mother’s Day (1908)
May 9, Historic St. George’s Museum & Archives, 326 New St.
Hospital in America (1751)
May 16, Pennsylvania Hospital, 800 Spruce St.
World’s Fair on American soil (1876)
May 23, Please Touch Museum, 4231 Avenue of the Republic
Steamboat for passengers and freight (1787)
May 30, Independence Seaport Museum, 211 S. Christopher Columbus Blvd.
American flag (1777)
June 6, Betsy Ross House, 239 Arch St.
U.S. Army (1775)
June 13, Museum of the American Revolution, 101 S. 3rd St.
Annual Reminder demonstration (1965)
June 20, Philly Pride Visitor Center, Lombard St. and S. 12th St.
Paper maker in America (1690)
June 27, Rittenhouse Town, 6034 Wissahickon Ave.
Bank of the United States (1791)
July 4, First Bank of the United States, 120 S. 3rd St.
Organized baseball team (1831)
July 11 (location TBD)
Ice cream soda (Oct. 1874)
July 18, Franklin Fountain, 116 Market St.
American art school (1805)
July 25, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 118-128 N. Broad St.
Scientific Society of Natural History (1812)
Aug. 1, at Academy of Natural Sciences, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Zoo in America (1874)
Aug. 8, Philadelphia Zoo, 3400 W. Girard Ave.
U.S. Mint (1793)
Aug. 15 (location TBD)
Selfie (1839)
Aug. 22, Love Park, 1501 John F Kennedy Blvd.
Slinky (1943)
Aug. 29, Philadelphia Art Museum, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Signing of the Constitution (1787)
Sept. 5, National Constitution Center, 525 Arch St.
Continental Congress (1774)
Sept. 12 at Carpenters’ Hall, 320 Chestnut St.
Naming of the United States (1776)
Sept. 19, Independence Hall
Ronald McDonald House (1974)
Sept. 26, Ronald McDonald House, 3925 Chestnut St.
Penitentiary in America (1829)
Oct. 3, Eastern State Penitentiary, 2027 Fairmount Ave.
The First Peoples
Oct. 10, Penn Museum, 3260 South St.
U.S. Navy and Marine Corps (1775)
Oct. 17, Arch Street Meeting House, 320 Arch St.
Public showing of a motion picture (1870)
Oct. 24, Philadelphia Film Society, 1412 Chestnut St.
Modern detective story written (1841)
Oct. 31, Edgar Allan Poe House, 532 N. 7th St.
Thanksgiving Day parade in America (1920)
Nov. 7, Benjamin Franklin Parkway
University in America (1740)
Nov. 14, Houston Hall, The University of Pennsylvania, 3417 Spruce St.
Children’s hospital in America (1855)
Nov. 21, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Main Building, 3401 Civic Center Blvd.
Pencil with an attached eraser (1858)
Nov. 28, National Liberty Museum, 321 Chestnut St.
Weather bureau (1870)
Dec. 5, The Franklin Institute, 222 N. 20th St.
Electronic computer (1945)
Dec. 12, The University of Pennsylvania, 3451 Walnut St.
Public lending library in America (1731)
Dec. 19, The Library Company of Philadelphia, 1314 Locust St.
Philly food firsts: Cheesesteaks (1930s), water ice (1932) and bubble gum (1928)
Dec. 26, Reading Terminal Market, 1136 Arch St.
