Fancy Brigade Association

The Fancy Brigades were first formed in the early 1940s. At that time they were referred to as “Groups”. In 1947 they became known as Brigades. The Brigades paraded as part of the Fancy Division and were soon referred to as Fancy Brigades. All Fancy Brigades belonged to a Fancy Club as part of the Fancy Division. The Brigades referred to the Fancy Club they belonged to as the “Mother Club”. Each Mother Club had approximately five Brigades. While the Brigades competed against each other, the points they were awarded were part of the Fancy Club’s overall total. The Fancy Brigade Association was formed in 1960. The Association was formed for many reasons, but most notably to provide a single voice for the Brigades, as well as design the rules for competition. In 1963 the Fancy Brigade Association instituted the awarding of Captain Prizes starting with the 1964 Parade. Following the 1977 Parade, members of the Fancy Brigade Association made the courageous decision to go to the City of Philadelphia with a request to form their own Division. The move was a show of unity by the Brigades led by their Association. One of the Brigades was to be dropped by the Mother Club for not scoring enough points. Without a Mother (Fancy) Club a Brigade could not compete in the Fancy Brigade competition. The Brigades no longer wanted their ability to take part in the parade to be so dependent on another Division. The Brigades changed how they designed their costumes and presentations to take advantage of parading “under the lights”. As the years went on the performances became more elaborate with floats the size of buildings. In 1997 the Brigades voted to move their show indoors to the Pennsylvania Convention Center for a “finale” after the Broad Street Parade. The indoor show would be the “judged” event. Despite many who said it could not be done, the 1998 Parade was viewed as a complete success! Contact us at PMBAfancybrigades@gmail.com