During the festival parade, he played the fife at the front of the procession.

played 是动词 play 的过去式，play 在这里表示"演奏(乐器)"。 fife 是一种小型的高音横笛，通常用于军乐或游行音乐中。 played the fife 指的是"吹奏横笛"这个动作。