“There’s nothing organized. There’s no official parade,” said Same Regalbuto, president of the Philadelphia Mummers String Band Association.
Regalbuto says they are asking their members to keep up this year’s tradition.
“As a person who has been directly affected by COVID, we urge people to stay home and be safe with their families,” he said.
Online, a Facebook page with two anonymous hosts declared a Mummer’s Day protest against Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney.
About 2,800 people have already signed up and confirmed they will attend.
The city urges people to stay home and stay safe.
“We’re just going to go down there, prop and give hands-free disinfectant to everyone,” Michael McGrail said.
McGrail is not a member of any Mummer club, but intends to distribute safety kits to those who want to attend Friday’s unofficial event.
“We’re going to move forward one way or another,” he said.
“It hurts a little bit because we’re here, and we usually have a lot of business when they’re here,” Neil Mininger said.
Meanwhile, some area residents believe this new year will be quieter.
Others have not decided whether they will attend unofficial parties.
“I could, maybe not. I’m a little nervous about it. I don’t want to catch it or anything,” Rebecca Nini said.
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