Bud Billiken Parade steps off on South Side for 96th year

CHICAGO — For the 96th year, a parade celebrating African American culture dazzled thousands of eager spectators on the South Side.

The annual event began back in 1929 as a way to honor the hard work of newsboys who sold the Chicago Defender, an African American newspaper founded in 1905.

Now, nearly 100 years later, the beloved parade has become one of the city’s best-known back-to-school events and has grown into one of the largest and longest-running parades in the country, second only to the Rose Bowl.

The parade stepped off from 39th Street and Martin Luther King Drive at 10 a.m. Saturday and the fun is expected to last for hours as marching bands, floats and dancers make their way down the line toward Washington Park.

The parade will finally conclude at Garfield Boulevard.

“Every summer since 1929, “The Bud” has united African-Americans throughout the city of Chicago in music, dance, food, and laughter. It’s one of the only spaces where we can openly and emphatically praise the historic roots that plant us into the South Side of Chicago,” organizers said.

Immediately after the parade, families will head to Washington Park, where a festival will take place until 4 p.m.