December 12, 2025
BASTIAAN SLABBERS/for PhillyVoice
The Mummers Parade, set to celebrate its 125th anniversary, has been named the best holiday parade in the country by USA TODAY's 10Best Readers' Choice Awards.
The Mummers Parade again has been named the best holiday parade in the country by USA Today's 10Best Readers' Choice Awards — one year after being snubbed for the top spot.
The New Year's Day parade, praised for its "colorful procession" and "spectacular costumes" beat out nationally known events like the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York and the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival in Chicago. The list also included a few lesser-known parades that also offer unique spectacles — like a lighted tractor parade in Napa Valley.
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The Mummers Parade is considered the oldest and longest-running folk parade in the country. Its roots date to the 17th and 18th centuries when the city's immigrants would parade the streets performing skits, poems and songs while pleading their neighbors for food and drink.
The first official parade was held in 1901. Over the decades it evolved into a celebration with four divisions — comics, wenches, string bands and fancy brigades — and one that draws thousands of spectators to Broad Street.
The Mummers Parade last topped 10Best's list in 2023. Last year, it ranked fourth.
"This national recognition couldn't come at a better time as we prepare to celebrate the Mummers' 125th anniversary," Sam Regalbuto, president of the String Band Association, said in a statement. "The Mummers' history is unmatched, and our New Year's Day performance will celebrate that legacy while building excitement for this historic year in Philadelphia."
The 10Best list mostly includes traditional parades like Detroit's Thanksgiving parade and New Orlean's new holiday parade. But there are a couple more niche events.
The Calistoga Lighted Tractor Parade in Calistoga, California, which ranked fourth, brings tractors, trucks and construction vehicles adorned with holiday lights down one of the city's main roads. The parade celebrated its 30th anniversary earlier this month. USA Today described it as a "quintessential small-town celebration."
Annapolis, Maryland celebrates the holiday season by parading illuminated boats through its harbor. Many docks and balconies are decked out, too, for the Eastport Yacht Club Lights Parade. USA Today ranked the celebration sixth.
To compile the 10Best list, USA Today asked a panel of experts to nominate their holiday parades. The publication's readers then voted for their favorites.
