Photo courtesy of Bud Biliken Parade
Head to Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood to witness the second largest parade in the U.S. after the Rose Bowl; the historic Bud Billiken Parade celebrates 95 years of African American music, pageantry and community on August 10, 2024.
Filled with over 200 elaborate marching bands, drill teams, acrobats, dance groups and floats promenaded for two miles down Dr.Martin Luther King Dr. in the heart of the South Side, the Bud Billiken Parade has been a Chicago summer highlight for generations of families.
Established in 1929 by Robert S. Abbott, publisher of the legendary Chicago Defender newspaper, the parade honors the legacy of Black families who moved to Chicago during the Great Migration in the early twentieth century. It is the largest Black parade in the world.
Photo courtesy of Bud Bililken Parade
Noted for nurturing musicians like Nat King Cole and Lionel Hampton, the Bud Billiken Parade displays a stunning variety of musical and dance talent who travel from all over the country to participate.
The parade kicks off at 10 am and runs through noon on Dr.Martin Luther King Drive at Oakwood Blvd. to Washington Park at 55th but arrive as early as possible to grab a good spot to see the procession.
This year, The Bud Biliiken Parade It Takes A Village Back to School Festival will offer performances, free school supplies for kids, a job fair, college admissions info and vendors in Washington Park from 10 am- 4 pm.
Register here for the free festival.
Bud Billiken Parade
Dr. Martin Luther King Drive, from Oakwood Blvd. to Washington Park at 55th St.
August 10,2024, 10 am-noon
Free
