PHILADELPHIA – High winds postponed the string band competition of the New Year’s Day Mummers parade, but the winners of the Fancy and Wench brigades were announced.
Organizers made the tough decision to move the sting band competition to a later date after they say some people were hurt while setting up in strong winds.
Fancy brigade, Wench brigade winners
What we know:
The Downtowners took the top spot for the Fancy Brigades and the Americans came in first place in the Wench brigade.Â
Fancy Brigade results:
DowntownersVikingsShooting StarsJokersGolden CrownSaturnalianSpartansAvenuesClevemoreSatin Slipper 
Wench Brigade results:
AmericansOregonBrysonMGKCara LiamRiverfrontPiratesO’MalleySaintsFroggy String band competition postponed
What we know:
The Philadelphia String Band Association and parade organizers on Thursday morning announced that the string band competition has been postponed.Â
Wind gusts up to 30 MPH caused damage to props during set-up and caused some injuries.
“The wind was so strong, a couple of guys got hurt,” President of the Philadelphia Mummers String Band Association Sam Regealbuto said.Â
“If you have one guy injured, it’s a decision that you have to make for the safety of everyone else.”
The string bands still marched down Broad Street and around City Hall on New Year’s Day, but did so with their props.
What they’re saying:
Despite the postponement of the string band competition, parade goers still reveled in Philadelphia’s unique New Year’s Day tradition.
“It’s so much fun,” Lauren Rossi from Runnemede told FOX 29. “It’s a great time to be with each other, it’s just so fun.”
Mary Ellen Rachubinski from South Philadelphia echoed a similar sentiment, saying the tradition “means everything.”
“A whole year to get ready just for 90 seconds, but it means everything and it’s a tradition,” she said.
“When the storm hit, the winds came through at 30 mile an hour sustained gusts and they didn’t stop,” said Philadelphia Mummers String Band Association President Sam Regalbuto. “We even had some a little higher than that, so we started having issues with people even being able to hold stuff to assemble it.”
Safety for the participants and spectators is why Regalbuto and the city ultimately decided to suspend the competition, but the action continued along the parade route in costume and makeup without props.
“We’ve had cancellations and delays before, but never something where we were halfway through getting ready in the morning, bands were already out there, props being put together and just having to stop everything halfway through,” said Executive VP Chris Roetz of the Quaker City String Band. “It was tough.”‘
Roetz is heartbroken over the decision but understands why the decision was made.Â
“I was very upset,” said Roetz. “It’s tough. You work all year for this, and then you get postponed and you don’t know when it’s going to happen. It was nice to get out there and make a lot of people smile and be happy, but it was just sad we didn’t get to give them our full performance.”
Before the start of Thursday’s competition, people were hurt by flying props getting caught by the wind.
Regalbuto said one person sustained a scratch and the other sustained a bump and a bruise. Both had to get assessed at the hospital and then were sent home.
Now eyes are on the future of the competition, as well as what things could mean for 2027 celebrations.
“I think 2027 you’ll still see a very good show and the same thing with the product we’re putting out, it just might be a little scaled back prop wise,” said Roetz.
Regalbuto said 2026 logistics are being worked out as we speak.Â
“Right now, we have all options on the table. There are things being discussed,” he said.
What’s next:
Organizers say a rescheduled date for the string band competition will be announced in the near future.