2026 Bud Billiken Parade celebrates back to school on Chicago's South Side
The 2026 Bud Billiken Parade drew crowds to Chicago's South Side Saturday morning for the annual back to school festival.
The 97th annual parade winds through Bronzeville and Washington Park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Marching bands and floats stepped off at 39th Street and Martin Luther King Drive, ending in Washington Park.
After the parade, thousands gathered in Washington Park for a picnic and festival featuring free hairstyling, haircuts, school supplies, and health screenings, along with crafts, vendors, college admissions representatives, and a job fair.
The people lining the streets of the parade route were joyous, cheering and dancing with the floats, performers, marching bands and community groups as they passed.
The Bud Billiken Parade that began in the summer of 1929 continues to embody Chicago's Black history and works to empower youth, especially on the South Side.
