Santa will get a star-studded welcome during this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which will include a performance by musical icon Cher.
Jon Batiste will kick off the celebrations in New York City, which will include thousands of volunteers, 16 giant character balloons, 26 floats, 32 inflatables, hundreds of clowns, 12 marching bands and nine performance groups.
The annual parade — which is in its 97th year — will begin 30 minutes earlier than usual, “offering the nation more entertainment and spectacle than ever before,” according to organizers.
“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,” Will Coss, the parade’s executive producer, said Wednesday in a statement. “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.”
Seven new balloons will debut at this year’s parade: Beagle Scout Snoopy, Blue Cat & Chugs of Cool Cats, Po from “Kung Fu Panda,” Leo from the Netflix movie from the same name, Monkey D. Luffy, the Pillsbury Doughboy and Uncle Dan from “Migration.”
A slew of entertainers will be part of the festivities, 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
- Manuel Turizo
- U.S. Olympic Silver Medalist Jordan Chiles
- U.S. Paralympian Ezra Frech
- U.S. Paralympic Gold Medalist Jessica Long
- Miss America 2023 Grace Stanke
The parade will be broadcast beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 23.
©2023 Cox Media Group
