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In South Philadelphia, Mummers put finishing touches on costumes, props ahead of 125th parade

By
Alicia Roberts
Alicia Roberts
Emmy-award winning Reporter and Anchor Alicia Roberts joined the CBS News Philadelphia team in December 2020.
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Alicia Roberts,
Scott Jacobson

/ CBS Philadelphia

Matt Gigliotti has been a Mummer in Philadelphia since 1979.

"Christmas is a little bump in the road to New Year's," Gigliotti said Wednesday night. 

He now leads the 120-member behind-the-scenes crew known as the Marshalls for the South Philly String Band, responsible for everything from set engineering and construction to parade setup. New Year's Eve means loading the trucks ahead of the annual Mummers Parade on Thursday. 

"Over the years, it's grown bigger and bigger, and you can kind of say you're putting on a Broadway show for four minutes and thirty seconds," Gigliotti said.

Meanwhile, inside the Clubhouse on West Porter Street, volunteers spent the night cutting, gluing and putting the final touches on elaborate costumes and props for the parade's 125th anniversary. 

"It's exciting, it's a little bit of anxiety, a little bit of pressure to get everything done in time," said Denny Palandro, who has been captain since 2008. He's hoping for a three-peat championship with this year's Aladdin-themed performance. 

"A lot of colors, a lot of props, great show, great music and hopefully entertaining to the people," Palandro said. 

For Palandro, this club has extra meaning after the loss of his son in an accident in 2019.   

"A lot of this I do in his memory, and it keeps me going," he said.  

As for how the Mummers ring in the new year, most say come midnight they'll be heading to bed ahead of a very early start to 2026. But even with the before-sun wakeup, they say there's no better way to start the new year.

"When you're a Mummer," Gigliotti said, "you're a Mummer for life."

How to watch the 2026 Mummers Parade

The parade starts at 9 a.m. Thursday at City Hall and heads south on Broad Street to Washington Avenue.

on WDPN-TV (MeTV2) and WFMZ-TV Channel 69 and streamed on , , , , , and .

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