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Philadelphia Clowns Stage Quarantine Protest Parade

The Mummers Parade was canceled. But some people couldn’t resist making fools of themselves.

A small group of dissident Philadelphia clowns and their supporters gathered to protest the cancellation of their annual parade due to public health concerns. The annual Mummers Parade, held on New Year’s Day in Philadelphia for over a century, typically sees musicians and performers dressed in bright and outlandish costumes parade through the city, performing string band music. After Mayor Jim Kenney canceled the parade due to the coronavirus pandemic, some performers gathered in costume in protest. City officials issued flyers in advance of the expected protest reminding residents that the parade had been canceled and to stay home, but the dissident mummers ignored the directive.