BUD BILLIKEN 365

CHICAGO, May 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Martin Luther King Drive will be filled with family entertainment as communities come together representing the start of a new school year. The 93rd year of the Bud Billiken® Parade will commence on Saturday, August 13, 2022 at 10:00 A.M. and will be broadcast live on ABC7 Chicago from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. The legendary Parade will bring the community together in celebration featuring a host of celebrity guests, the South Shore Drill Team, a signature mix of performing teams, extraordinary floats, marching bands, and more.

The Bud Billiken® Parade and Festival takes place in historic Bronzeville, on the second Saturday in August.  It proceeds south on Dr. Martin Luther King Drive from Oakwood Boulevard to 51st Street and continues Ellsworth Drive through Washington Park to 55th Street where it disbands. The Parade is followed by the festival which is located in Washington Park near 52nd  and Ellsworth Drive.  The festival includes children's activities, vendors, entertainment, and competitions from 10 am to 4 pm.

Robert Sengstacke Abbott, founder of the Chicago Defender Newspaper, started the Bud Billiken® Parade on August 11th, 1929. The first parade began with the goal to honor the hard work and dedication of the newsboys who sold the Chicago Defender Newspaper. Mr. Abbott then created the newsboy's band which included musical greats such as Nat King Cole and Lionel Hampton. Over the years, hundreds of thousands have lined the parade route with millions viewing the festivities on live television. Today, the parade features dozens of dance teams, drill teams, marching bands, floats and more. Many notable celebrities have appeared in the Bud Billiken® Parade throughout the years, including President Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, L.L. Cool J, Spike Lee, Michael Jordan, Queen Latifah, Tyler Perry, Chance the Rapper, Chaka Khan, and actor/rapper T.I., just to name a few. Historically greats have attended such as Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, The Supremes, Lena Horne and President Harry S. Truman.

"After 93 years, the Bud Billiken® Parade continues to be the 2nd largest parade in the Nation next to the Rose Parade, featuring the talents of our youth throughout the Nation," says Myiti Sengstacke-Rice, Parade Chair and Chicago Defender Charities, CEO.

For further information visit www.budbillikenparade.org

Contact Information                                                                                                                              La'Vonne Maston-FisherBud Billiken® Parade - Chicago Defender Charities[email protected]773-536-3710

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SOURCE Chicago Defender Charities