Isabel Hinojosa ’25
Arts and Entertainment Editor and Chive Editor
I have always had fond memories of waking up to the sound of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and this year was no different. This year is the 96th year the parade made its way through the streets of New York City with favorite floats and balloons making their return, as well as new attractions unique to this year.
The parade opened with a dramatic performance of “Don’t Rain on my Parade” from the iconic Broadway show, Funny Girl, with Lea Michelle, of “Glee” fame, as the star. Hosted by “Today Show” anchors Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb, the parade was televised on NBC, as it is every year.
The three-hour parade was then led by the famous “Tom Turkey” float, with celebrity Mario Lopez waving on top. This was followed by a recorded thanksgiving message from Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton. Other recorded messages from celebrities included President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden, George Lopez, Raymond Lee, and Terry Crews.
The new gigantic balloon this year was Bluey, a giant blue dog from the hit Australian children’s show. The balloon is as high as a four-story building and covered in 50 gallons of blue paint. A new “ballooncicle” also made its debut this year: “Striker the U.S. Soccer Star.” A “balooncicle” is a balloon that is taken through the parade attached to a bicycle. Striker is a special edition this year in honor of the U.S. men’s soccer team competing in the World Cup in Qatar.
Returning balloons included Greg Heffley from Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Stuart the Minion from Despicable Me, Astronaut Snoopy, Grogu AKA Baby Yoda, the classic Harold the Fireman, Paw Patrol, Pikachu and Eevie, The Pillsbury Dough Boy, Smokey Bear, the U.S.’s longest running service campaign, Ronald McDonald, SpongeBob, The Boss Baby, and Smurf.
Notable performances included “Spirit of America,” a cheerleading crew of 500 put together by Macy’s from college and high school cheerleading teams across the country, the cast of the Broadway show, The Lion King, performing the song “The Circle of Life” with stunning costumes, and the iconic Radio City Rockettes kicking to one of their Christmas routines for their seasonal show.
Musical performances included boy band sensation “Big Time Rush” on the Kinder float, Jamaican performer Sean Paul on the Kalahari float, Jordin Sparks on the Toys R Us float, Paula Abdul on the “Big Turkey Spectacular” float from Jennie-O, Jimmy Fallon and The Roots, and Gloria Estefan accompanied by her family. Even if the lip-synching is very obvious and sometimes cringe-worthy, it is still fun to hear the year’s top songs.
Another exciting aspect of the parade every year is the marching bands that are recruited to march in the parade from across the country. This year, there were marching bands from South Carolina, Kentucky, Indiana, California, Pennsylvania, New York, Florida, South Dakota, Missouri, Texas, and even Mexico.
The longest float in the parade this year was from the “Louisiana Office of Tourism” that featured a lively performance from trombone duo, Trombone Shortie and Orleans Avenue. A new float this year was “The Wondership” from the brand Wonderbread.
The parade finale included a highly anticipated performance from Mariah Carey, where she sang her most famous Christmas song, “All I want for Christmas is You.” She wore an extravagant mermaid-style maroon gown complete with a tiara on her head and a matching maroon parasol in her hand. She was also surrounded by an entire crew of background dancers dressed in various Christmas character costumes.
However, this was all an introduction for the main attraction: Santa Claus. He stood and waved from up high on his sleigh with a gigantic sack of toys following behind him. Mrs. Claus waved on a tier below him as the crowd went wild and Guthrie and Kotb concluded the program expressing gratitude for all those serving in the Armed Forces.
