It is important to remember that the bulk of the mummers and their organized groups made it clear that they were not going to march this year because of health concerns, Kenney said. So the major divisions of the parade who are organized made that decision early on.
During the summer the city opted to cancel all large public gatherings and events in Philadelphia through February in order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. These restrictions were imposed in July and have resulted in other major events in Philadelphia – like the Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Broad Street Run – being called off, too.