The Bud Billiken Parade is a certified living monument to Black Chicago and the creativity birthed here. The South Side celebration pulls in hundreds of thousands of attendees who line up along Martin Luther King Dr as the parade cruises down a two-mile stretch from 39th Street to Washington Park.
For its 97th year, The Bud chose actress and South Side native LisaRaye McCoy as its grand marshal. McCoy made her way down the parade as fans screamed with adoration. She shook the people’s hands and took as many pictures as she could.
McCoy has had a busy summer in her hometown. A well-known house head, she co-hosted the 36th annual Chosen Few House Music Picnic and Festival last month in Jackson Park.
Ahead of McCoy, a white Ford Bronco escorted comedic actors Cedric the Entertainer and Anthony Anderson down the parade path. Both actors are remembered for their performance in the 2002 movie “Barbershop,” which was set and shot on Chicago’s South Side. Anderson also shared that his mother grew up on Chicago’s West Side. Fans clamored to get a wave, picture or conversation with either of the two.
There was no shortage of Chicago entertainers, politicians and dignitaries in Saturday’s parade. Cortez “Nuck” Smith and Hannaha “Tiffany” Hall represented Showtime’s “The Chi,” social media influencer Korporate rode atop a Jeep Wrangler, popular “Top of Cars” rapper Lil M.U. and rapper Taylor Bennet were in attendance too.
On the political side, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Mayor Brandon Johnson and Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias — the latter recently announced his 2027 campaign for Chicago mayor. This year, The Bud said goodbye to civil rights pioneer Rev. Jesse Jackson, who passed away in February earlier this year, at the age of 84. Two of Jackson’s sons marched proudly in the parade: Congressman Jonathan Jackson (IL-01) and former Illinois Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr.
“It’s great. I’m here with Sen. Robert Peters and [Cook County] Commissioner Tara Stamps, and we’re grateful to be part of the back-to-school celebration that’s the Billiken Parade,” Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said.
Truth be told, the highlight of The Bud is always the drill teams. Nearly 300 organizations participated in the parade, but the drill and dance teams took the cake.
Dressed in elaborately themed costumes, groups like the South Shore Drill Team, B.O.T. (Bringing Out Talent) Dance and Drill Team, the Golden Knights Drill Team and the New Generation Fancy Drill Team hyped up crowds with energetic dance routines.
The dance routines and costume designs are in the same vein as HBCU majorettes, but Chicago just does it differently. The teams often move to their own custom mixes, incorporating elements of footwork and juke to their routines.
“Footwork is ingrained in the foundation of Chicago,” said South Side native Ross Robinson, 40, who enjoyed the parade with his family while watching the South Shore Drill team march past them. “We were doing it way back in the day, and the fact that it’s stuck from back then to now shows that it’s truly Chicago. It’s amazing.”
Blaring from the speakers for these dance groups is a genre made famous right here in Chicago. The energy that juke music brings is almost unmatched. Chicago’s drill teams exude that energy in a way that injects the crowd with excitement.
Chicago historian Shermann “Dilla” Thomas walked the parade trail with his family, enjoying the different dance routines. “I think juke music should be here because juke music still is the music of the youth,” he told The TRiiBE.
“Some kind of way, this thing created 40 years ago is still very much connected to young people right now,” Thomas said. “And anytime young people have a place to feel safe and express themselves through something that they’re connected to, we should lift it up. So I’m loving the juke out here.”
