One of the most important annual holiday traditions is waking up early on Thanksgiving Day to start (or continue) prepping the family meal while watching the vibrant floats in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade go by.
This year, it’s the 96th edition of the Manhattan showcase, and fans are in for a smorgasbord of floats, marching bands, and other performances from the biggest stars in music.
So who’ll be hitting the pavement to participate in this year’s turkey day festivities, and when do you need to tune in? Here’s a look at everything we know about the 2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
When is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade this year?
The parade takes place on Thursday, November 28, from 8:30 a.m. until 12 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.
Where can I watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade?
For those who are watching from the Big Apple, the parade will begin at Manhattan’s Upper West Side and end at Macy’s Herald Square flagship store. For audiences at home, NBC and its partnered streaming service Peacock will both air the parade live on Thanksgiving morning, with an encore running on NBC at 2 p.m. ET/PT, hosted by Today stars Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, and Al Roker. A Spanish-language simulcast on Telemundo will be hosted by the network’s Carlos Adyan and Andrea Meza.
What can fans expect from the 2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade?
The parade is expected to feature 17 character balloons, 22 floats, 15 heritage and novelty balloons, 700 clowns, 11 marching bands, 10 performance groups and musical stars, and, of course, the arrival of Santa Claus on his sled.
Among the stars featured at the 2024 parade are Bishop Briggs, Kylie Cantrall, Chlöe, Dan + Shay, Dasha, Jimmy Fallon & The Roots, Coco Jones, Walker Hayes, Ariana Madix, Joey McIntyre, Idina Menzel, Natti Natasha, T-Pain, Rachel Platten, Lea Salonga, The Temptations, The War and Treaty, Alex Warren, Sebastián Yatra, Charli D’Amelio and ballet dancers Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia, Jonathan Bennett, Liza Colón-Zayas, Tom Kenny, Ginna Claire Mason, and members of WNBA Champions New York Liberty with Ellie the Elephant.
Jennifer Hudson, Kylie Minogue, Billy Porter, and the musical group Loud Luxury will all perform, and Wicked star Cynthia Erivo and Broadway’s Cole Escola will make appearances.
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Cutting the ribbon for this year’s parade will be Alison Brie, and Broadway shows whose stars will perform include Death Becomes Her, Hell’s Kitchen, and The Outsiders, with The Radio City Rockettes kicking their way into the show as well.
For the first time, renowned choreographer Shay Latukolan will lend his expertise to the parade, choreographing captivating dance performances for the highly anticipated arrivals of Tom Turkey and Santa Claus, as well as adding a touch of magic to three featured floats.
This year’s new character balloons are Minnie Mouse, Extraordinary Noorah & The Elf on the Shelf, Gabby, Goku, Marshall, and Spider-Man. The six new floats are Candy Cosmos by Haribo, Magic Meets the Seas by Disney Cruise Line, Pasta Knight by Rao’s Homemade, Masterfeast by Netflix, and Wondrous World of Wildlife by the Bronx Zoo. The new specialty units are Strikes Again by Go Bowling, The Garriage by Nickelodeon, The Grannies Car by BBC Studios’ Bluey, and Universal’s Merry Moment by Universal Studios Orlando.
Macy’s Winter Wonderland in Central Park will feature a performance by Sebastián Yatra with a holiday choir with members of Big Brothers Big Sisters, and other musicians from across the country who’ll perform include University of Massachusetts Minuteman Marching Band (Amherst, MA), Avon Marching Black & Gold (Avon, IN), East Tennessee State University Marching Buccaneers (Johnson City, TN), Flower Mound High School Marching Band (Flower Mound, TX), Lake Hamilton High School Marching Band (Hot Springs, AR), Sioux Falls Lincoln High School “Patriot” Marching Band (Sioux Falls, SD), Majestic Marching Cardinals of Jonesboro High School (Morrow, GA), Macy’s Great American Marching Band (United States), Carolina Band of the University of South Carolina (Columbia, SC), “the Pride of West Virginia”-The Mountaineer Marching Band(Morgantown, WV), NYPD Marching Band (New York, NY), Circus Vazquez, Riverdance (North American Tour and Academy), AUM Dance Creations (Bridgewater, NJ), Black Haus Creative (New York, NY), BOSS Kids (New York, NY), Indigenous Enterprise (Phoenix, AZ), Kilgore College Rangerettes (Kilgore, TX), MOVE NYC (New York, NY), and 700 cheerleaders from Spirit of America Dance and Spirit of America Cheer.
2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, November 28, 8:30/7:30c a.m., NBC
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