MACY’S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE KICKS OFF THE HOLIDAY SEASON

Returning for its 97th edition this year, The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will officially welcome the holiday season tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. For the first time in its long history, the iconic holiday tradition will begin 30 minutes early in New York and on the official national broadcast. Showcasing an exciting lineup of featured character balloons, magical floats, the finest marching bands from across the country, dynamic performance groups, imaginative clowns, the nation’s biggest musical talents and the one-and-only Santa Claus, this is the nation’s premiere Thanksgiving celebration.

“For nearly 100 years, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has been synonymous with the beginning of the holiday season, celebration and togetherness,” said Will Coss, Executive Producer of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. “Our talented team of Macy’s Studios artisans and production specialists work year-round to deliver the nation’s most beloved holiday event, live on Thanksgiving morning. We are proud to hold this responsibility and look forward to sharing our unbelievable designs, larger-than-life character balloons and first-class entertainment, all sure to create lifelong memories for Parade fans nationwide.”

The 97th Macy’s Parade lineup will include 5,000 volunteers, 16 featured character balloons, 26 fantastic floats, 32 heritage and novelty balloons, more than 700 clowns, 12 marching bands and nine performance groups. Joining these Macy’s Parade fixtures are some of the biggest stars in music, all welcoming in Santa Claus and the holidays.

Stars at this year’s parade include the legendary star of music, film, stage and television, Cher, who will perform a new holiday hit and kick off the season at 34th Street. Other performances include Jon Batiste. Bell Biv DeVoe; Brandy; Chicago; En Vogue; and many more.

Seven new featured balloons will debut, including Beagle Scout Snoopy by Peanuts Worldwide; Blue Cat & Chugs by Cool Cats; Kung Fu Panda’s Po by Universal Pictures’ Dreamworks Animation; Leo by Netflix, Inc.; Monkey D. Luffy by Toei Animation Inc.; Pillsbury Doughboy by Pillsbury; and Uncle Dan by Illumination.

This year four new floats will debut in the Macy’s Parade celebration. The floating stages, along with their scheduled performers, include Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem by Nickelodeon & Paramount (Bell Biv DeVoe); Palace of Sweets by Brach’s (Brandy); Igniting Memories by Solo Stove (Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors); and The Deliciously Delectable World of Wonka by Warner Bros. Pictures.

The Macy’s Parade holds a cherished and longstanding tradition of showcasing the nation’s finest marching bands. This November gifted musicians joining the line of march include Alabama A&M University Marching Maroon and White (Huntsville, AL); The Band Directors Marching Band™ (United States); Fishers High School Marching Tiger Band (Fishers, IN); Greendale High School Marching Band (Greendale, WI); Jenison High School Marching Band (Jenison, MI); Macy’s Great American Marching Band (United States); Mercer Island High School Marching Band (Mercer Island, WA); NYPD Marching Band (New York, NY); O’Fallon Township High School Marching Panthers (O’Fallon, IL); Rutgers University Marching Scarlet Knights (Piscataway, NJ); Marjory Stoneman Douglas Eagle Regiment High School Marching Band (Parkland, FL); andTexas Tech University Goin’ Band from Raiderland (Lubbock, TX).

Other dynamic performances include those by the Big Apple Circus; Cornell Bhangra from Ithaca, NY; Tiptoe’s Winter Guard, accompanying Tiptoe (Macy’s signature reindeer); the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters; Maria Verdeja School of Arts (MVSA) dancers from Miami; St. John’s Dance; and the Tap Dancing Christmas Trees from California. Rounding out the performance lineup are the young dancers and cheerleaders of Spirit of America Dance and Spirit of America Cheer. These two groups together include more than 1,200 of the best dancers and cheerleader performers.

See the Magic Live

The 97th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will step off from its traditional starting line at 77th Street and Central Park West at 8:30 A.M. The procession will march down its signature 2.5-mile route taking it from Central Park West to Columbus Circle, turning onto Central Park South and then marching down 6th Avenue/Avenue of the Americas. At 34th Street, the Parade will make its final turn west and end at 7th Avenue in front of Macy’s iconic Herald Square flagship.

Public viewing will be set up along designated portions of the route and managed by the NYPD. Spectators should avoid bringing large bags, umbrellas, backpacks, and strollers. The public entering viewing streets may be subject to a security search. For additional viewing information, please visit macys.com/parade.

A National Celebration

Last year’s “Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade” was the most-watched entertainment program of the 2022-23 season. The official telecast is on NBC and simulcasts on Peacock, from 8:30 A.M. to 12:00 P.M., in all time zones. The network will air an encore telecast at 2:00 P.M. ET/PT. “TODAY’s” Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker will join as hosts. The Spanish language simulcast on Telemundo will be hosted by the network’s daytime personalities, Carlos Adyan and Andrea Meza.