Billiken Bash

Summer on the South Side peaks with the annual tradition known as the Bud Billiken Parade, which marks the upcoming back-to-school season and showcases the best young Black talent in town. In its 96th year, the parade saw decked out marching bands, dance troupes, musicians, floats, acrobatics and choreographies along Martin Luther King Drive that drew local families and crowds from out of state. The day was filled with barbecuing, hot dogs, ice cream, and outdoor fun. 

Who’s Bud Billiken? The boy was a cartoon character in the youth column of the Chicago Defender newspaper that its founder created in 1923—someone whom he hoped would inspire Black children who perused the paper to pursue education, happiness and pride. The event has been called the largest African American parade in the United States.

This year, Mayor Brandon Johnson invited the Bud Billiken Royal Court to City Hall for a tour of his office and the City Council chambers. The parade “commemorates Black Chicagoans’ historic roots on the South Side, and celebrates our future by putting a spotlight on academic excellence, vibrant dance, incredible music, and amazing food,” Johnson said. “I am always honored to join the largest and oldest Black parade in the U.S. and to lift up our youth as they prepare to start another school year!”

Photos by K’Von Jackson.

K’Von Jackson is a freelance photographer for the Weekly since 2021. Jacqueline Serrato is the Weekly’s editor-in-chief.