Hotel+ Mummers Day Parade
 

Looking to go to the Parade and would like a hotel very close and possibly with a balcony view, within a reasonable price range. Any info welcome!!!!

And if anybody can tell me please what is mummers day?

Sorry meant mummer's parade on new year's day!!!!

Never heard of such a parade... what's that?

Mummers Parade is a parade unique to Philly. It goes on all new years day, starting in the morning with one class, and it works its way up to the sophisticated mummers at night performing in the convention center. The guys get all dressed up in a themed costume and perform a dance/acting number to music. There is a mummer's musuem in Phila -- it is a big thing around here, and the mummers prepare all year for this one parade.

Not being native to Phila, I had never heard of it. So New Year's Day in 2001, hubby and I turn on the TV and were wowed/astonished/confused as to what was going on. We watch it every year at home now.

I am obviously not the best person to explain this, and I cannot answer tHRINITH's questions...any native Phila people out there?

Thanks Senecagirl

Okay, so I feel bad about the injustice on what I wrote about the Mummer's...so much more than what I wrote. Here is there official web-site...and it even has hotel reco's, so I'm helping too! ;)

www.mummers.com

I went to this website - living in CA never heard of mummers! So it's like April Fool day 3 months early, right?

Back to your original question . . . there are three hotels that face directly onto the Broad Street parade route:
The Doubletree
http://www.doubletree.com/en/dt/hote...tyhocn=PHLBLDT
The Park Hyatt (which we all still call the Bellevue)
http://parkphiladelphia.hyatt.com/property/index.jhtml
The Ritz Carlton
http://www.ritzcarlton.com/hotels/philadelphia/

Of these, the Doubletree is probably the most reasonable.

Center City is quite compact. The two main streets, Broad (aka 14th Street) and Market, intersect at City Hall, which is where the judges' stand is located. The parade steps off in South Philadelphia and proceeds north, with stops for performances every few blocks.

It can be fun to stay near, rather than on, the parade route. You can actually go out on the street to see the parade, knowing that your own bathroom is just a block or two away. So, there is a Marriott at 12th and Market, which is just two blocks away from City Hall. It is also right next door to the Convention Center, which is where the string bands perform in the early evening. Also a Loews on the other side of Market Street. A Hilton Garden at 11th and Arch. A Holiday Express at 13th and Walnut.

Going the other way, there's both a Westin and a Radisson on 17th.

Good luck and happy New Year!

dbenya has excellent suggestions. FYI, even if you stay in a hotel room directly facing the parade route, you may still have a hard time seeing the details (ie the costumes), unless you bring binoculars with you. That happened to me couple of years ago when I was staying at the Ritz Carlton. Even though I could see the parade route from my room, I had to turn the TV on in order to see anything close-up. If you don't mind standing in the cold, your best bet is to watch it on the street level (and you'll have more hotel choices too).

Today I saw on TV part of the parade, is this a staged show? It did not look like a parade, more like a concert of different bands in costumes. Whatever it is, I loved it! Reminds of Halloween :)

It looked on TV like the cameras have the "front" view, and the crowd had side and back views, is this right?

I saw scarecrows' band, an Egyptian themed band, a Polish band, something Hawaiian, a band dressed like alligators and turtles. It was fun!

I will try to see it every year!

Yes, it is more of a show than a parade. The different mummer brigades and bands work all year long on their routines and their costumes. They parade down Broad St. and perform in front of the judges. Yesterday was great because it was so nice and warm in Phila.

Senecagirl,

On what channel are you able to get the Mummers' Parade?

It was me, not Seneca :) I don't remember the channel number... is it possible to open TVguide website and go back to January 1? It may've been a cable channel... I live in San Francisco, and it was something like 1-3 pm Pacific time.

Unfortunately, I was out of town this New Years, so I didn't get to see it. I cannot remember what channel, we flipped around until I caught it. We have digital cable, so it might have been on a cable channel. I am impressed that FainaAgain was able to see it in San Francisco!!