Bud Billiken Parade Returns To Bronzeville After A Year Off Because Of Pandemic
PHOTOS: The 92nd Annual Bud Billiken Parade returned to Bronzeville as school’s return peers around the corner. Neighbors celebrated with dance and song all day.
Dancers perform along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive during the 92nd Bud Billiken Parade in Chicago on Aug. 14, 2021. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
BRONZEVILLE — Chicagoans flocked to King Drive on Saturday for the much-anticipated return of the Bud Billiken Parade, which was canceled last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Smiles and cheers filled the parade route as elected officials, dance troupes, local unions and more marched through the South Side neighborhood on the perfect summer day.
The annual back-to-school event typically attracts close to 500,000 people every summer. With the availability of vaccines and students preparing to return to the classroom this fall, parade organizers brought it back, but with safety precautions.
Organizers shrunk the footprint of the parade staging area and cut the number of entrants from 250 to 125, said Myiti Sengstacke-Rice, president of the Sengstacke Foundation, which organizes the parade.
But the shorter parade didn’t dampen the enthusiasm. Check out the photos:
The South Shore Drill Team performs along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive during the 92nd Bud Billiken Parade in Chicago on Aug. 14, 2021. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoThe Rich High School marching band performs along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive during the 92nd Bud Billiken Parade in Chicago on Aug. 14, 2021. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoA bearded dragon takes a ride on a person’s hat along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive during the 92nd Bud Billiken Parade in Chicago on Aug. 14, 2021. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoLillian Wilkins excitedly greets Mayor Lori Lightfoot along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive during the 92nd Bud Billiken Parade in Chicago on Aug. 14, 2021. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoThe Jackson family poses for a photo along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive during the 92nd Bud Billiken Parade in Chicago on Aug. 14, 2021. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoAaliyah Spates and her family smile for a photo along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive during the 92nd Bud Billiken Parade in Chicago on Aug. 14, 2021. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoUrsula Cline from Englewood dances along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive during the 92nd Bud Billiken Parade in Chicago on Aug. 14, 2021. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoChicago Fire Department Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt waves along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive during the 92nd Bud Billiken Parade in Chicago on Aug. 14, 2021. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoAaliyah Spates blows bubbles along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive during the 92nd Bud Billiken Parade in Chicago on Aug. 14, 2021. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoThe South Shore Drill Team performs along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive during the 92nd Bud Billiken Parade in Chicago on Aug. 14, 2021. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoU.S. Rep. Bobby Rush (D-1st) waves his hands in the air along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive during the 92nd Bud Billiken Parade in Chicago on Aug. 14, 2021. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoSpectators excitedly watch as the South Shore Drill Team performs along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive during the 92nd Bud Billiken Parade in Chicago on Aug. 14, 2021. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoGeek Squad performs along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive during the 92nd Bud Billiken Parade in Chicago on Aug. 14, 2021. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoTrina Cothron (right) takes Ayden Cobb (left) to his first Bud Billiken Parade on Aug. 14, 2021. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoBrad and Lynn Tucker smile for a photo along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive during the 92nd Bud Billiken Parade in Chicago on Aug. 14, 2021. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoLola the parrot makes an appearance along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive during the 92nd Bud Billiken Parade in Chicago on Aug. 14, 2021. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoGov. J.B. Pritzker and Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton march and wave to spectators along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive during the 92nd Bud Billiken Parade in Chicago on Aug. 14, 2021. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoWaves and kisses are shared with spectators along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive during the 92nd Bud Billiken Parade in Chicago on Aug. 14, 2021. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoSpectators excitedly greet Mayor Lori Lightfoot as she throws a t-shirt for them along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive during the 92nd Bud Billiken Parade in Chicago on Aug. 14, 2021. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoDancers of Silent Threat performed in honor of their late dance coach, Verndell Smith who was fatally shot in May 2021, perform along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive during the 92nd Bud Billiken Parade in Chicago on Aug. 14, 2021. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoA person holds a puppy along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive during the 92nd Bud Billiken Parade in Chicago on Aug. 14, 2021. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
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