BUD BILLIKEN IS TAKING OVER THE SOUTH SIDE RIGHT NOW!

📍CHICAGOOOO! If you're wondering where everybody is today, baby, THEY'RE ON KING DRIVE! 😂

The 97th annual Bud Billiken Parade is rolling through Chicago RIGHT NOW, and the South Side is doing what the South Side has been doing for generations:

SHOWING OUT.

Bands are playing.

Drill teams are stepping.

Kids are dancing.

Floats are rolling.

Families are lining King Drive.

And somewhere right now somebody's auntie is sitting in a lawn chair she put out so early this morning the SUN wasn't even at Bud Billiken yet. 😂

The parade stepped off around 10 a.m. from 39th Street and Martin Luther King Drive and is traveling south through Washington Park before concluding near Garfield Boulevard. ABC7 is carrying live coverage of the celebration.

👑 LISARAYE IS LEADING THE PARTY!

And Chicago's own LisaRaye McCoy is right in the middle of today's celebration as the 2026 Bud Billiken Grand Marshal.

YES.

DIAMOND CAME HOME!

The actress, model and entrepreneur grew up in Chicago, and now she's leading one of the biggest traditions in Black Chicago.

And Lady Red only has one concern:

LISARAYE BETTER HAVE ON WHITE.

Don't come down King Drive experimenting today, Lisa.

We know the uniform.

WHITE.

😂😂😂

🥁 KING DRIVE IS ALIVE

Today's parade lineup includes Chicago favorites such as the Jesse White Tumblers, South Shore Drill Team, Golden Knights Drill Team, Chi-Town Cheerleaders and numerous dance and youth organizations.

So if you're anywhere around Bronzeville and wondering what all that noise is...

THAT'S CHICAGO BEING CHICAGO.

Bud Billiken isn't one of those events where everybody politely stands around holding sparkling water.

Baby, this is King Drive.

Somebody dancing.

Somebody grilling.

Somebody yelling across six people because they just spotted their cousin.

And somebody has already said:

“WATCH MY CHAIR!”

🤣

🪑 AND DON'T TOUCH THAT CHAIR!

Speaking of chairs...

If you see an empty folding chair sitting along the parade route?

LEAVE IT ALONE.

That chair ain't empty.

That's somebody's PROPERTY CLAIM.

The owner might currently be three blocks away getting food, talking to somebody they haven't seen since 1997 and looking for their grandbaby.

But I PROMISE YOU...

THEY COMING BACK FOR THAT CHAIR.

😂

🎒 BUT TODAY IS REALLY ABOUT CHICAGO'S KIDS

Behind all the fun is the reason Bud Billiken has survived for 97 years.

The parade traditionally celebrates Chicago's young people and marks the beginning of the back-to-school season.

Organizers describe Bud Billiken as the nation's oldest and largest African American parade, and generations of Chicago families have made this an annual tradition.

Grandparents who stood along King Drive as children are now bringing their grandchildren.

That's what makes today bigger than a parade.

It's Black Chicago history happening in real time.

❤️ THIS IS CHICAGO TOO

And THAT is something worth saying.

Because whenever Chicago makes national news, somebody somewhere wants to show the worst five minutes they can find.

Well...

TURN THE CAMERA TOWARD KING DRIVE TODAY.

Look at the families.

Look at the kids.

Look at the bands.

Look at the generations celebrating together.

Look at nearly a century of tradition still rolling through the South Side.

THIS IS CHICAGO TOO.

Actually...

THIS IS CHICAGO, PERIOD.

So if you're out there right now, have fun, stay hydrated and enjoy the celebration.

And if you're trying to drive anywhere near King Drive wondering why traffic ain't moving...

Baby...

YOU HAVE MADE A TERRIBLE DECISION.

🤣🤣🤣

Happy 97th Bud Billiken Parade, Chicago!

730 BOOM IS WATCHING WITH YOU!

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