NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--America’s favorite holiday tradition will once again kick off the season of joy, as the 89th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade® returns to march down the streets of New York City on Thursday, Nov. 26. As millions celebrate the holiday with family and friends, more than 8,000 participants, including clowns, balloon handlers and marching bands, will travel through Manhattan to the sound of the iconic catchphrase Let’s Have a Parade™. With more than 3.5 million spectators and more than 50 million television viewers nationwide, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is the nation’s most celebrated and anticipated holiday treat.
“The 89th edition of Macy’s famed holiday procession promises to deliver an unrivaled spectacle of magic for millions of spectators lining the streets of New York City and millions more watching it unfold in homes across the nation,” said Amy Kule, executive producer of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. “From our signature giant character balloons to our floats of wonder, not to mention the nation’s best marching bands, whimsical clowns, celebrities and the big man himself - Santa Claus; the 89th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will continue to delight audiences of all ages, as together we celebrate the start of the holiday season.”
Since its origin in 1924, the Macy’s Parade has marked the official start of the holiday season, introducing a cherished march of magic that has dazzled generations of fans. For the 89th edition, the famed spectacle’s line-up will feature 17 giant character balloons; 24 novelty/ornament balloons, balloonicles and trycaloons; 27 floats; 1,100 cheerleaders and dancers; more than 1,000 clowns; 12 marching bands; a host of celebrity performers; and of course, the one-and-only Santa Claus.
STARS ON PARADE
The procession will feature a star-studded cast who will celebrate the holiday with America, providing the nation with first-class performances along the way. Joining the festivities this year are Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, Mariah Carey, Dove Cameron and Sofia Carson, Cirque du Soleil®, Daughtry, Andra Day, Andy Grammer, Sandra Lee, Shawn Mendes, MercyMe, Mipso, Miss America 2016 Betty Cantrell, Jennifer Nettles, NHL legends Mark and Marty Howe, Jake Owen, Panic! At the Disco, Plain White T’s, Rachel Platten, Prince Royce, Questlove with the cast & Muppets of Sesame Street®, the cast of Broadway’s School of Rock, Trey Songz, Jordin Sparks, Chica and the gang from Sprout and Train.
In addition to the performing talent, leading the Parade will be a special invited guest. Each Thanksgiving morning, Ms. Kule leads the line of march through the streets of Manhattan as a representative of the more than 4,000 Macy’s employee volunteers who have given up their holiday to bring the nation an unmatched spectacle. Ms. Kule, dressed this year by Tony Award®-winning designer William Ivey Long, will be joined at the head of the Parade by Roseann Levy, a longtime Macy’s employee celebrating the 60th year of volunteering her time to put together this magical event for the City of New York and the nation.
GIANTS IN THE SKY
The Parade’s signature giant character balloons have showcased the world’s most beloved cultural characters since the late 1920’s. Evolving from a simple paper sketch to giant wonders on Thanksgiving morning, the balloons are transformed by Macy’s “Balloonatics” into high flying art.
This year, four new giant characters will take center stage including Angry Birds’ Red by Rovio Entertainment; the pre-historic and legendary DINO™ by Sinclair Oil; Ice Age's Scrat and his Acorn by Twentieth Century Fox; and Ronald McDonald® debuting in his fourth whimsical giant balloon.
Returning characters include Adventure Time with Finn & Jake, Diary of A Wimpy Kid®, The Elf on the Shelf®, Hello Kitty®, How to Train Your Dragon’s Toothless, PADDINGTON™, Pikachu™, Pillsbury™ Doughboy™, Skylanders® Eruptor, Snoopy & Woodstock, SpongeBob SquarePants, the Red Mighty Morphin Power Ranger and Thomas the Tank Engine®. Returning balloonicles (a Macy’s Parade hybrid of cold-air balloon and vehicle) include the famed-spokesduck The Aflac Duck and the supercool KOOL-AID Man.
FLOATING ON AIR
Macy’s floating wonders create a collection of magic and imaginative delights that dazzle and transport spectators. These stages are created by Macy’s Parade Studio’s team of designers, carpenters, painters, animators, metal fabricators and electricians, who work all year to bring the idea on a sketch pad to towering reality. Macy’s Parade floats are often three stories tall and several lanes of traffic wide, but must collapse to no more than 12 ½-feet tall and 8-feet wide in order to safely travel from the New Jersey studio to the Manhattan starting line via the Lincoln Tunnel.
This year’s six new floats include Big City Cheer! by Spirit of America Productions, The Colonel’s Road Trip to NYC by Kentucky Fried Chicken, The Cranberry Cooperative by Ocean Spray®, Discover Adventure! by Build-A-Bear, Heartwarming Holiday Countdown by Hallmark Channel and celebrating the 50th anniversary of “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” Snoopy’s Doghouse by Peanuts Worldwide.
The returning float roster includes 1-2-3 Sesame Street; Big Apple (NY Daily News); At the Ball Game (Cracker Jack®); Dreamseeker (Cirque du Soleil®); Enchanting World of Lindt Chocolate; Frozen Fall Fun (Discover®); Free to Play (Sprout®); Girl-Powered Spinning Machine (GoldieBlox®); It’s All Rock & Roll (Gibson Brands®); Mount Rushmore’s American Pride (South Dakota Department of Tourism); On The Roll Again (Homewood Suites by Hilton®); Santa’s Sleigh; Santaland Express; Stirrin’ Up Sweet Sensations (Domino® Sugar); Stone Forest of Kunming, China (Sino-American Friendship Association); Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Nickelodeon); Tom Turkey; Treasure Hunt (Pirate’s Booty®); Winter Wonderland In Central Park (Delta Air Lines); and A World at Sea (Royal Caribbean International®).
Completing the lineup will be a vintage 1924 Ford Model T Fire Truck, along with the FDNY Pipes & Drums in celebration of their 150th anniversary. In addition, the Casa Fresca Café float by Avocados From Mexico will entice and delight spectators with a tasty and fun fiesta.
DRUM ROLL, PLEASE …
Marching bands are a central piece of the Thanksgiving delights, bringing national excitement and hometown pride to the streets of the Big Apple, not to mention the musical beat to the holiday revelry.
Twelve performance ensembles will take up the call of the baton and march down the streets of Manhattan, creating a wave of thunderous applause. Joining the fun are Gulf Coast High School (Naples, FL), Lewis Cass High School (Walton, IN), Munford High School (Munford, TN), Nogales High School (La Puente, CA), North Hardin High School (Radcliff, KY), Stephen F. Austin State University (Nacogdoches, TX), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Champaign, IL), University of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA), Walled Lake Central High School (Walled Lake, MI), West Chester University of Pennsylvania (West Chester, PA) and the NYPD Marching Band (New York, NY).
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the Macy’s Great American Marching Band will welcome back a selection of alumni band members, in addition to a new class of more than 250 elite high school marching band students from across the country.
Specialty Parade entertainment always promises a unique, exciting, and sometimes humorous look at the nation’s finest performance groups. This year, special groups include the 610 Stompers (New Orleans, LA), Brooklyn Jumbies (Brooklyn, NY), J.U.M.P. jump rope team (Strongsville, OH) and the Kruti Dance Academy (Duluth, GA). Completing the performance groups are the Spirit of America Cheer and the Spirit of America Dance Stars, which both feature 550 of the nation’s best cheerleaders and most thrilling dancers.
A TELEVISION SPECIAL EVENT
The nation’s biggest and most anticipated Thanksgiving celebration, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is broadcast nationally on NBC, with millions of families nationwide tuning in to watch the excitement unfold. This year, the TODAY Show’s Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie and Al Roker will host the three-hour broadcast from 9 a.m. – noon (in all time zones). Joining the Parade, as a signature element kicking off the holiday season will be the world-famous Radio City Rockettes®. The national broadcast would not be complete without showcasing the best theatrical productions. Set for a 34th Street performance will be Fiddler on the Roof, Finding Neverland, The King & I, On Your Feet! and Something Rotten! In addition, spectators will get a sneak preview performance from NBC’s The Wiz Live!
AN INSIDER’S LOOK
For an insider’s look at the holiday procession, fans nationwide should check macys.com/parade for regular updates including behind-the-scenes previews, animated videos and other exclusive content. Fans can also download the free 89th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade app to interact with the holiday tradition, learn more about the elements and share content with friends. The one-stop mobile destination for everything about the Macy’s Parade will be available from the iTunes® App Store or from Google Play.
The 89th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will begin at 9 a.m. from 77th Street and Central Park West. The procession will march to Columbus Circle, turn onto Central Park South and march down 6th Avenue/Avenue of the Americas to 34th Street. At 34th Street, the Parade will make its final turn west and end at 7th Avenue in front of Macy’s Herald Square. A Holiday Treat for Children Everywhere has been the guiding motto of this annual tradition for more than eight decades, and is one which continues to this day.
For more information on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, please visit www.macys.com/parade or call the Parade hotline at 212-494-4495. Follow @macys and join the conversation at #MacysParade on various social networks.
The Manhattan NYC, an Affinia Hotel is the official hotel partner of
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Delta Air Lines, New York’s most
global airline is proud to be the official airline of Macy’s Parade.
RAM
Trucks is the official truck of the Macy’s Parade.
Timberland is
the official outerwear provider.
Remo is the official drumhead
provider.
PLEASE NOTE: ALL TALENT, PERFORMANCES, ELEMENTS AND INFORMATION INCLUDED ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. ADDITIONAL MACY’S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE MEDIA MATERIALS ARE AVAILABLE AT MACYSPARADEPRESS.COM.
