Bud Billiken Parade Steps Off on South Side for 96th Year

At 96th Annual Bud Billiken Parade, Black Pride On Full Display

BRONZEVILLE — The Bud Billiken Parade ushered in the back-to-school season — and highlighted Chicago’s Black culture — with its 96th edition Saturday. Cheerleaders, drill teams, dance company and local high schoolers didn’t disappoint despite the summer heat, which reached neared 100 degrees in the sun. For many Black Chicagoans, the Bud Billiken Parade means more than an annual gathering of people, says Carlette Bracey, who has been coming to e…

Tens of thousands celebrate 96th Annual Bud Billiken Parade as summer winds down

The Bud Billiken Parade, a cherished South Side tradition signaling the end of summer, was held in Bronzeville.

South Side Bud Billiken Parade marks the start of the back-to-school season

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2025 Bud Billiken Parade in Chicago

Photos from the Bud Billiken Parade on Aug. 9, 2025. Bud Billiken Parade: A look back at 96 years of Chicago’s back-to-school tradition Dance Force Elite dancers perform during the 96th annual Bud Billiken Parade, Aug. 9, 2025, in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune)     Astronaut Flee dance studio performers prepare to perform dressed as little Pinocchios during the 96th annual Bud Billiken Parade, Aug. 9, 2…

Bud Billiken Parade steps off on South Side for 96th year

CHICAGO — For the 96th year, a parade celebrating African American culture dazzled thousands of eager spectators on the South Side. The annual event began back in 1929 as a way to honor the hard work of newsboys who sold the Chicago Defender, an African American newspaper founded in 1905. Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines Now, nearly 100 years later, the beloved parade has become one of the city's best-known back-to-school event…

One of the country's largest parades to return to Chicago this weekend for 96th edition

The country's largest African American parade will return to Bronzeville this weekend, drawing crowds to celebrate the beginning of the school year.