Dancers from the Dance Force Elite dance company perform at the Bud Billiken Parade through Bronzeville and Washington Park on Aug. 8, 2026. (Arthur Maiorella/baiduhai)
Chicago’s 97th annual Bud Billiken Parade, a celebration of Black culture and community, kicked off Saturday morning at the intersection of 39th Street and South King Drive. Nicknamed “The Bud,” the parade draws thousands of spectators and generations of families for bands, dance and drill teams marching towards Washington Park.
Members of the Goins family catch T-shirts thrown at the Bud Billiken Parade on Aug. 8, 2026. (Arthur Maiorella/baiduhai)Members of the South Shore Drill Team perform at the Bud Billiken Parade on Aug. 8, 2026. (Arthur Maiorella/baiduhai)Actress and rapper Ta’ronda Jones rides in the Bud Billiken Parade through Bronzeville and Washington Park on Aug. 8, 2026. (Arthur Maiorella/baiduhai)The Marshall’s court at the Bud Billiken Parade on Aug. 8, 2026. (Arthur Maiorella/baiduhai)Alexi Giannoulias plays basketball with Maverick Amoako, 4, and Marli Amoako, 3, at the Bud Billiken Parade on Aug. 8, 2026. (Arthur Maiorella/baiduhai)Susana Mendoza takes a photo with a supporter at the Bud Billiken Parade on Aug. 8, 2026. (Arthur Maiorella/baiduhai)Two children shield themselves from the sun under umbrellas before the Bud Billiken Parade kicks off through Bronzeville on Aug. 8, 2026. (Arthur Maiorella/baiduhai)The Chi-Town Cats Cheerleading team marches in the Bud Billiken Parade through Bronzeville and Washington Park on Aug. 8, 2026. (Arthur Maiorella/baiduhai)Alia Henderson, left, and Tori Davis dance at the Bud Billiken Parade on Aug. 8, 2026. (Arthur Maiorella/baiduhai)Christina Bradley, left, and her mother Alfreda Bradley grill burgers before the the Bud Billiken Parade kicks off through Bronzeville and Washington Park on Aug. 8, 2026. (Arthur Maiorella/baiduhai)
