Bud Billiken Parade and Picnic | |
---|---|
Status | Active |
Genre | Parade |
Date(s) | Every second Saturday in August |
Frequency | Annual |
Location(s) | East 35th to 55th Streets on South Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive Chicago, Illinois |
Country | United States |
Years active | 1929[1][2] | –present
Inaugurated | August 11, 1929[3][4] |
Founder | Robert Sengstacke Abbott (founder) |
Most recent | August 10, 2024 |
Next event | August 9, 2025 |
Website | budbillikenparade |
The Bud Billiken Parade and Picnic (also known as The Bud Billiken Day Parade) is an annual parade held since 1929[5] in Chicago, Illinois. The Bud Billiken Day Parade is the largest African-American parade in the United States.[6] Held annually on the city's south side on the second Saturday in August,[7][8] the parade route travels on Dr. Martin Luther King Drive through the Bronzeville and Washington Park[9] neighborhoods. At the end of the parade, in the historic Washington public park is a picnic and festival. Robert S. Abbott, the founder and publisher of the Chicago Defender newspaper, created the fictional character of Bud Billiken, which he featured in a youth advice column in his paper. David Kellum, co-founder of the newspaper sponsored Bud Billiken Club and longtime parade coordinator[10][3] suggested the parade as a celebration of African-American life.
Since its beginning, the parade has featured celebrities, politicians, businessmen, civic organizations and youth. It is considered the second largest parade in the United States,[11][12][13][14][15] whose focus is on celebrating youth, education, and African-American life. The parade is also cited as the "back-to-school" celebration, marking the end of summer vacation and resuming of school for Chicago's youth.[16][17][18]
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