All-City People’s Parade Weathers the Storm

Hand-crafted signs add color to the parade. All photos, courtesy of Milwaukee Public Theatre

The Milwaukee Public Theatre (MPT) won’t let a little rain (or in this case, a raging thunderstorm and gale force winds) wash out this parade. Although rained out last August, the All-City People’s Parade is undeterred, collaborating with the Milwaukee Laborfest Parade on September 7 for a full-day parade and pageant extravaganza like nothing you’ve ever seen!

The brainchild of the MPT, along with The Milwaukee Mask and Puppet Theatre, the All-City Parade is inspired by Minneapolis’ May Day parade and, at its heart, is a community-building art project that created by hundreds of artists and community members.

Promoting peace in Milwaukee

Featuring larger-than-life puppets, hand-crafted masks, vivid costumes, floats and, of course, a full marching band, this off-beat parade will march, dance and sing its way through the city this Labor Day.

“Scores of professional artists and hundreds of volunteers from all parts of the city have created huge puppets, floats and masked creations from the ground up,” says Barbara Leigh, MPT’s artistic director. “The parade is an extravaganza metaphor of Milwaukeeans’ hopes and fears.”

The all-inclusive parade starts at 11am and will continue down Wisconsin Avenue to the Summerfest Grounds. At 1:30 pm, there will be a narrated version of the parade to explain the parade’s varied and colorful elements.

The event’s theme, “Making a New Way Together,” emerged from a series of public brainstorming sessions to reflect a sense of community as well as Milwaukeeans’ concerns about the economy, ecology and peace. Other themes of the parade and pageant include : “Prosperity Is Just Around the Corner,” “Toward an Economy of Lasting Value,” “Toward Harmony in Our Neighborhoods,” “Our Choices Grow the World” and “Yes, We Can Can-Can!”

You can be a part of the magic! Volunteers of all ages and abilities are still needed to help make the parade a success. You can carry puppets, push floats or just put on a mask and boogie down Wisconsin Avenue with the group — any and all help is appreciated. Call the Milwaukee Public Theatre at 414-347-1685 for more information about the parade or volunteerism.

See you downtown!