By Karen Rubin, News & Photo Features, news-photos-features.com
Returning for its 97th edition this year, The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade® officially ushered in the holiday season on November 23 with the time-honored phrase 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…Let’s Have A Parade™
The Macy’s Parade is a massive extravaganza with 16 featured character balloons, 26 floats, 32 heritage and novelty balloons, more than 700 clowns, 12 marching bands and nine performance groups and 5,000 volunteers.
The 97th edition of the beloved tradition kicked off at 8:30 am, extended by 30 minutes, to accommodate more entertainment and spectacle than ever before featuring performances by music legend Cher, Jon Batiste; Bell Biv DeVoe; Brandy; Broadway’s “& Juliet,” “Back to the Future: The Musical,” “How To Dance In Ohio,” “Shucked” and “Spamalot,” with a special appearance by Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells of “Gutenberg! The Musical!;” Chicago; U.S. Olympic Silver Medalist Jordan Chiles; En Vogue; ENHYPEN; U.S. Paralympian Ezra Frech; David Foster and Katharine McPhee; Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors; Jessie James Decker; U.S. Paralympic Gold Medalist Jessica Long; Ashley Park with the cast and Muppets of Sesame Street®; Pentatonix; the Radio City Rockettes®; Paul Russell; Amanda Shaw and Alex Smith; Miss America 2023 Grace Stanke; and Manuel Turizo, many of whom floated down the parade route, enroute to 34th Street.
“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.”
Ballooning Icons
Taking flight on Thanksgiving were the Parade’s signature character balloons. Since their introduction in 1927, these larger-than-life balloons showcase some of the world’s most beloved and iconic characters.
This year, seven new featured balloons made their debut, including Beagle Scout Snoopy by Peanuts Worldwide; Blue Cat & Chugs by Cool Cats, a digitally native character; 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.
Making a return appearance were featured character balloons including Bluey, joined for the first time by her favorite “Keepy Uppy” red balloon, by BBC Studios; Diary Of A Wimpy Kid® by Abrams Books (who suffered a bit of a mishap on his way down Central Park West); DINO and Baby DINO by HF Sinclair; Goku by Toei Animation Inc.; a Funko Pop!-inspired Grogu™ by Funko ; Chase from Paw Patrol® by Spin Master & Nickelodeon; Pikachu™ & Eevee™ by The Pokémon Company International; Red Titan from “Ryan’s World” by Sunlight Entertainment and pocket.watch; Ronald McDonald® by McDonald’s® USA; SpongeBob SquarePants & Gary by Nickelodeon; and Stuart The Minion by Illumination.
Balloon handlers showed their strength and skill in keeping the balloons afloat against the cross-town gusts of wind.
The inflatable lineup also included HF Sinclair’s Baby DINOs, the Go Bowling™ balloonicles; Smokey Bear by the USDA Forest Service; A Merry Moment by Universal Orlando Resort featuring candy cane & poinsettia balloons, stilt walkers and dancing Christmas trees; and Macy’s very own special reindeer Tiptoe.
Entertainers on Board
Throughout the streets of New York City and on-board Macy’s signature floating stages spectators enjoyed exhilarating performances from artists including Bell Biv DeVoe; Brandy; Chicago; En Vogue; ENHYPEN; David Foster and Katharine McPhee; Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors; Jessie James Decker; Ashley Park with the cast and Muppets of Sesame Street®; Pentatonix; Paul Russell; Amanda Shaw and Alex Smith; and Manuel Turizo. U.S. Olympic Silver Medalist Jordan Chiles (Gymnastics), U.S. Paralympian Ezra Frech (Track and Field), U.S. Paralympic Gold Medalist Jessica Long (Swimming) and Miss America 2023 Grace Stanke will also join the festivities.
Floating Fantasy
The skilled artisans of Macy’s Studios work year-round to create the whimsical designs that float down the streets of New York City on Parade morning. Conceived, designed, engineered and built at the Macy’s Parade Studio – a design and production facility that includes carpenters, engineers, electricians, painters, animators, balloon technicians, sculptors, metal fabricators, scenic and costume designers – these magical stages are created to transport Parade fans across the country to fantastical places.
This year four new floats debuted 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.
Returning floats and respective scheduled performers included 1-2-3 Sesame Street® by Sesame Workshop™ (the cast and Muppets of Sesame Street® & Ashley Park); Big City Cheer! by Spirit Of America Productions (Miss America 2023 Grace Stanke); Big Turkey Spectacular by Jennie-O (Paul Russell); Birds Of A Feather Stream Together by Peacock® (with an appearance by U.S. Olympic Silver Medalist Jordan Chiles and U.S. Paralympic Gold Medalist Jessica Long); The Brick-Changer by The LEGO Group (Manuel Turizo); Camp Snoopy by Peanuts Worldwide; Celebration Gator by Louisiana Office of Tourism (Alex Smith & Amanda Shaw).
Also: Colossal Wave Of Wonder by Kalahari Resorts and Conventions (En Vogue); Deck The Halls by Balsam Hill® (Jessie James Decker); Elf Pets® by The Lumistella Company®; Fantasy Chocolate Factory by Kinder® (Pentatonix); Geoffrey’s Dazzling Dance Party by Toys“R”Us; Harvest In The Valley by Green Giant®; Heartwarming Holiday Countdown by Hallmark Channel (David Foster & Katharine McPhee); Magic Meets The Sea by Disney Cruise Line (Captain Minnie Mouse, Captain Mickey Mouse and Friends); Pinkfong Baby Shark by The Pinkfong Company & Nickelodeon (ENHYPEN); People Of First Light ; Santa’s Sleigh (Santa Claus); Tom Turkey; Winter Wonderland in Central Park; and The Wondership by Wonder (Chicago).
Specialty units for the 2023 Macy’s Parade included Big Red Shoe Car ® by McDonald’s® and the Good Burgermobile by Nickelodeon & Paramount+ .
Completing the float lineup was a special appearance by the Macy’s Singing Christmas Tree, featuring a holiday choir comprised of Macy’s colleagues with Bigs and Littles from Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS). The creation of this special ensemble furthers Macy’s commitment to youth empowerment through its social purpose platform, Mission Every One, celebrating the power of mentorship and a multiyear partnership between Macy’s and BBBS.
Performance Spotlight
Completing the entertainment lineup were dynamic performance groups, charged with entertaining the crowds along the streets of Manhattan and delivering a show-stopping performance on 34th Street. These groups include the Big Apple Circus; Cornell Bhangra from Ithaca, NY; Tiptoe’s Winter Guard, accompanying Tiptoe; 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.
Strike Up the Band
The Macy’s Parade holds a cherished and longstanding tradition of showcasing the nation’s finest marching bands, including NYPD Marching Band (New York, NY). Also:.
Clowns, Clowns!
Santa Comes to Town!
The arrival of Santa is the exciting climax to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
The procession marched 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 made its final turn west and end at 7th Avenue in front of Macy’s iconic Herald Square flagship. TODAY’s” Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker hosted the Emmy®-Award winning celebration.
The Macy’s parade people are already planning for the 2024 edition, which will mark the 100th anniversary since the first parade, in 1924.
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