All systems go for Saturday's Mummers Mardi Gras in Manayunk

With a sunny forecast for Saturday, the first Mummers Mardi Gras Parade in Manayunk is set to go.

The parade was originally scheduled for Sunday, but was pushed off under a threat of daylong rain.

Organizers hope the parade, a fund-raiser for the Mummers, will turn into an annual event.

"If it works well, we'll definitely work toward doing it again," said Jane Lipton, executive director of the Manayunk Development Corp. "I would love for this to become a Manayunk tradition. I would love to do this every year."

The parade starts at 10 a.m. from Main Street and Shurs Lane and will make its way to Green Lane. It should last about two hours, after which the string bands will perform at various venues in Manayunk from noon to about 4 p.m. AccuWeather has forecast a sunny - but chilly - day: The high will be 27 degrees.

To get to Saturday's inaugural event, organizers had to coordinate with 17 string bands, one brass band, more than 30 retailers and restaurants, more than 30 sponsors, and dozens of volunteers.

Thanks to community interest and an aggressive marketing campaign, none of the organizers is worried about turnout.

"I've never had an event I had to push back that I felt would be as good of a turnout as the original date, except for this one," said Joe DeCandido, owner of Advent Consulting. His firm has been working with the Mummers and Manayunk Development to put the parade together and market it.