It’s that time of year again. Thanksgiving may or may not be one of your favorite holidays but watching the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade remains a holiday tradition for millions of people. A love of the spectacle has been passed down from generation to generation for nearly 100 years.
The 96th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which has the theme “5, 4, 3, 2, 1 … Let’s Have A Parade!” steps off on Thursday, November 24 at 9 a.m.
“Since its first march in 1924 and then through the decades, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has brought joy to the millions who gather nationwide each year to experience it with friends and family,” Will Coss, executive producer of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, said in a statement. “This November, as we once again set the stage for the start of the holiday season, we are thrilled to showcase another spectacle full of magic and wonder that will help create everlasting memories with loved ones during this special time of year.”
There will indeed be a lot to see during the parade. For instance, this year’s parade is scheduled to feature 16 giant character balloons, 28 floats, 40 novelty and heritage inflatables, more than 700 clowns, 12 marching bands, and 10 performance groups. There will also be numerous musical stars performing on the ubiquitous floats, and, of course, Santa Claus will also be on hand.
Interestingly, Santa Claus has been the final participant in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade every year except 1932. Instead, in 1932 Santa Claus led the parade.
Now, in a late-breaking surprise, Mariah Carey, known for performing numerous Christmas favorites as well as other chart-topping songs, has announced she will not only perform at the parade, but she’ll be closing the performance with Santa in the grand finale.
“My childhood dream is coming to life!” Carey wrote on Twitter. “I’m going to be opening for the one and only, SANTA CLAUS, at this year’s @macys Thanksgiving day parade!”
Let’s jump right to it. Here’s what you need to know about this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Giant Balloons
Towering balloons have been part of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade since 1927. This year will be no different.
New balloons this year include Bluey by BBC, Diary of A Wimpy Kid by Abrams Books, Dino and Baby Dino dinosaurs by Sinclair Oil, and Stuart the one-eyed Minion from Minions: The Rise of Gru from Illumination.
As you would expect, numerous fan favorites will return for this year’s parade as well. Viewers will be able to see Ada Twist, Scientist, Astronaut Snoopy, The Boss Baby, Goku from Dragon Ball, the Funko Pop!-inspired Grogu (better known as Baby Yoda ), Chase from Paw Patrol, the Pillsbury Doughboy, Red Titan from Ryan’s World, Ronald McDonald, Papa Smurf from The Smurfs, Pikachu & Eevee from Pokémon, and SpongeBob SquarePants and Gary.
Floats And Performers
No parade is complete without floats. This year, the Macy’s parade will feature 28 memorable floats.
First, if you enjoy floats, here’s a fun fact to keep in mind as they pass by: Each float must collapse to no more than 12.5 feet tall and 8 feet wide because they need to pass through New York City’s Lincoln Tunnel on their way from the parade studio in New Jersey to the parade’s step-off in Manhattan.
What makes the floats even more entertaining is that musical celebrities perform on many of them as they travel along the parade route. This year, you’ll be able to watch Paula Abdul on Big Turkey Spectacular by Jennie-O; Adam Devine, Sarah Hyland, and Flula Borg on Birds of a Feather Stream Together by Peacock; Josh Dela Cruz on Blue’s Clues & You! by Nickelodeon, and Gloria, Sasha, and Emily Estefan on Deck the Halls by Balsam Hill.
Other scheduled performers include Joss Stone on Heartwarming Holiday Countdown by Hallmark Channel; Dionne Warwick on Toy House of Marvelous Milestones by New York Life; and Jimmy Fallon & The Roots on Winter Wonderland in Central Park.
Among other musical numbers, you can also watch Lea Michele and the cast of the Broadway show Funny Girl perform the opening number, as well as performances from the casts of A Beautiful Noise, Some Like It Hot, and The Lion King.
Finally, following parade tradition, the Radio City Rockettes will also perform, and Miss America 2022 Emma Broyles will be on hand, riding on the float Big City Cheer by Spirit of America Productions.
Marching Bands
Let’s face it: Marching bands are another cornerstone of any parade. This year’s Thanksgiving parade will be no different.
Among the many marching bands scheduled to perform are bands from Benedict College, Columbia, South Carolina; Bourbon County High School; Paris, Kentucky; Carmel High School, Carmel, Indiana; Delfines Marching Band, Veracruz, Mexico; Macy’s Great American Marching Band; New York Police Department; South Dakota State University, Brookings, South Dakota, and the University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri.
Other Performers
There will be numerous other types of performers in the parade as well. Keep an eye out for the Ballet Hispánico’s School of Dance, the Fusion Winter Guard, the Kilgore Rangerettes, the Phantom Limb puppeteers, St. John’s Dance Team, and the Spirit of America Cheer and Spirit of America Dance Stars.
How To Watch The Parade
You can watch the parade on NBC and it also will be streamed on Peacock from 9 a.m. to noon in all time zones. The TODAY Show’s Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, and Al Roker will host the broadcast.
Accessibility Note: To help those who are blind and visually impaired, NBC Universal will present the entire broadcast with live audio description on the Secondary Audio Program channel (SAP). The broadcast will feature additional audio narration to describe the visual elements of the parade.
How To Attend The Parade
If you live in New York City or have plans to be there for Thanksgiving, you can watch the parade in person again this year.
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade steps off at 9 a.m. at its traditional starting point at 77th Street and Central Park West. From there, the procession will march down its signature 2.5-mile route from Central Park West to Columbus Circle, turning onto Central Park South, and then marching down 6th Avenue/Avenue of the Americas. Then, at 34th Street, the parade will make its final turn west before ending on 7th Avenue in front of Macy’s Herald Square.
Public viewing sections will be set up along designated portions of the route, and they will be managed by the New York Police Department.
If you want to watch the parade in person, you can find information about the parade route and exactly where you can watch the parade here.
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