Live! Casino to sponsor Mummers Parade

Photo by Live! Philadelphia

The Mummers Parade has a new title sponsor and new ways of watching the annual event.

Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia, which opened its doors on Packer Avenue nearly two years ago, was announced on Dec. 14 as the new title sponsor of the 123rd annual Mummers Parade, which will take place in Philadelphia on New Year’s Day.  

The newly named 2023 Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia Mummers Parade will feature all the traditional participants from the Fancy, Wench, Comic, and String Band divisions. In addition to these performances, the parade broadcast will include appearances from Mummers personalities, local celebrities and sponsors.

Live! Casino and Hotel’s involvement opened the door for the parade to broadcast live on WDPN-TV (MeTV2), WFMZ.com, and the WFMZ+ app available on Firestick, Roku, Apple TV, IOS, Android devices for the first time in the parade’s history. The parade will be broadcast from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. across all platforms. 

“We are thrilled to be the title sponsor of the 2023 Mummers Parade,” said Joe Billhimer, General Manager of Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia. “The Mummers Parade is a New Year’s Day tradition in Philadelphia and when we were approached with the opportunity to provide support, it was a no-brainer. Along with our community partners, we’re excited to keep the tradition alive, allowing fans both near and far the opportunity to tune in to the live broadcast on WDPN-TV (MeTV2) and experience the action.”

Larry Mendte and Dawn Stensland will host the event, joined by Megan McFarland, who will provide commentary for the Comics, Wenches, and Fancy divisions. David Grzybowski will provide commentary for the String Band division. In addition, Dennis Pellegrino, Captain of the Murray Comic Club, and Sam Regalbuto, President of the String Band Association, will provide firsthand insight throughout the parade. 

“The Mummers reached out to us just a few weeks ago asking if we could help save the parade for TV viewers,” MeTV2 and WFMZ-TV President and GM Barry Fisher said. “Generally, we would like several months to plan and prepare for a great event such as the Mummers Parade. However, with the cooperation and support of the Live! Casino and Hotel, The City, IBEW, and Mummers, we were able to commit to producing this year’s parade in just a few weeks.” 

MeTV2 can be viewed over the air, cable and satellite. The Mummers, in an effort to continue to lower the city’s financial involvement in the parade, are seeking donations and are encouraging fans to make a financial contribution by visiting www.donatemummers.com.

“We are excited for this new era of the Mummers Parade,” said Sam Regalbuto, President of the String Band Association. “The Mummers are thankful to Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia and WDPN-TV (MeTV2) for their support. We are elated that our parade will be on television for our local audiences and online for all of our fans around the world.”