Milder Mummers strut into 2017 [photos]

Two longtime Philadelphia traditions met head-to-head on New Years Day, as the annual Mummers parade happened at the same time as the Eagles hosted their rivals the Dallas Cowboys for the last football game of the season. While the Eagles won 20-13, they, unlike the Cowboys will not advance to the playoffs.

One comic brigade worked the Eagles into its parade routine, with a Wentz Wagon – referring to rookie quarterback Carson Wentz. No one was offended by that.

This year many Mummers went through sensitivity training to curb what some say has been an increase in offensive behavior. While some skits were overtly political — taking aim at President Elect Trump and Mayor Kenney — no overtly racist or homophobic incidents during the parade were reported widely.

One Wench carried a sign reading “I Flunked Sensitivity Training,” but nothing more.

However the Rabble Rousers club featured a twelve-foot toilet with someone dressed as poop inside, which some criticized as tasteless. The performance was a critique of the parade, itself and that sensitivity training.

Due to the change in the parade route a few years ago, action on Broad Street does not really peak until mid-afternoon, when the string bands entered Broad Street from the City Hall judging area. By then, aided by clear skies and 50-degree weather, sizable crowds had gathered on both sides of Broad Street to watch.

Last year’s Diversity Division, featuring a range of multi-cultural performances, was dissolved this year, but several of those acts returned as their own Fancy clubs, including Asian, Latino, and African-American performances.