Overview

This 82 year old event is the largest African–American parade in the United States celebrating its 33rd year on television. The parade, sponsored by the Chicago Defender Charities, is also a tribute to the African–American family and community and encourages youth to head back to school on the 1st day.

Air Date

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Stations and Time

WGN-TV * 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ABC-TV, Channel 7 * 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. TV One Cable Network Saturday, August 13, 2011

WGN–TV Hosts

• David & Tamela Mann
• Micah Materre
• Gaynor Hall
• Tony Scofield

WLS–TV Hosts

• Cheryl Burton
• Val Warner
• Jim Rose
• Karen Jordan
• Hosea Sanders

Special Features

National Award Winning bands & drill teams; tumblers; and national celebrities and entertainers

Fact Sheet

• In 2011, more than 2 million people viewed the Bud Billiken Parade on local and national television.
  
  
• Robert S. Abbott, founder of the Chicago Defender newspaper, founded the Bud Billiken Parade and Picnic in 1929 to award the newspaper boys
  
  
• The Bud Billiken Parade ranks only third in size behind the Rose Bowl Parade and Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
  
  
• The Bud Billiken Parade and Picnic is the largest of it kind in the nation
  
  
• In 2011, more than 400 units and over 500,000 people participated in the parade
  
  
• The total distance of the parade is 2.5 miles