…Let’s Have a Parade

The 88th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade® Marks the Start of the Holiday Season With the Nation’s Most Beloved Spectacle, Featuring Giant Helium Balloons, Floats of Wonder, Pulse Pounding Marching Bands, Rollicking Performance Groups, Celebrity Appearances and the One-and-Only Santa Claus

The 88th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade kicks off the holiday season on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2104 with its signature pomp and pageantry. (Photo: Business Wire)

NEW YORK--()--As the nation gathers to celebrate and give thanks with family and friends, the biggest spectacle of the holiday season returns to entertain millions, as the 88th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade® hits the streets of New York City. On Thursday, Nov. 27 at 9 a.m., more than 8,000 participants, some donning clown costumes, handling balloon giants or striking up the band, will set down the streets of Manhattan at the sound of the time honored catchphrase Let’s Have a Parade. With a live audience, more than 3.5 million strong and a nationwide television gathering of more than 50 million viewers, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is the nation’s most beloved holiday pageant.

“This is a record breaking year for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as we debut the largest new cast of giant character balloons ever assembled, along with five amazing new floats. Tens of millions of spectators will be amazed by what we have in store,” said Amy Kule, executive producer of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. “In addition to an incredible line up of celebrity performers, America’s best high school and college marching bands, hundreds of dancers, cheerleaders, clowns, and balloon handlers, we are adding some new layers of interactivity to the Parade for the first time this year. From live cameras on a float capturing special moments along the route to incredible 360-degree panoramic photos where fans can find themselves part the action, and finally, through our Confetti Carpet, the behind-the-scenes look at the starting line with our celebrity performers, we are bringing the Macy’s Parade closer to audiences in New York City and in homes across the country.”

STARS ON PARADE

The star power on Thanksgiving Day comes courtesy of performers from music, film, sports, theatre and television. As they reach their marks on 34th Street, the nation will enjoy their spectacular performances. Joining the festivities this year are the Big Apple Circus, Before You Exit, William Blake, Sabrina Carpenter, Cirque du Soleil, Hilary Duff, Renee Fleming, Becky G., Lucy Hale, Nick Jonas, KISS, Sandra Lee, The Madden Brothers, Idina Menzel, Miss USA 2014- Nia Sanchez, MKTO, the cast and Muppets of Sesame Street, NEEDTOBREATH, NHL® legends John LeClair and Pat LaFontaine, Pentatonix, Romeo Santos, Cole Swindell, Meghan Trainor, The Vamps, Quvenzhané Wallis, and more.

Kicking off the march will be a special group of children who have embodied the Parade’s spirit of teamwork. Throughout their remarkable run this past season at the Little League World Series, Philadelphia’s Taney Dragons displayed an inspiring level of collaboration, spirit and camaraderie - as perfectly evidenced by the group’s embrace and support of star pitcher Mo’ne Davis. In honor of that exemplary effort this year, the Taney Dragons will lead the procession down the streets of Manhattan with Macy’s Parade executive producer Amy Kule.

GIANTS IN THE SKY

The Parade’s signature giant balloons have for decades showcased the world’s most recognized characters. This year, Macy’s (NYSE:M) will introduce the biggest class of new balloons in its history. Six new giant characters will take to the sky including The Weinstein Company’s loveable Peruvian bear Paddington; the always electrifying Pikachu; the warm giggling Pillsbury Doughboy®; the vanquisher of evil the Red Mighty Morphin Power Ranger; the lava spewing Skylanders® Eruptor; and the friendly locomotive Thomas the Tank Engine®.

Rounding out the ballooning line-up are returning favorites including Adventure Time with Finn & Jake, Diary of A Wimpy Kid®, The Elf on the Shelf®, Hello Kitty®, Papa Smurf, Ronald McDonald®, Snoopy and Woodstock, Spider-Man, SpongeBob SquarePants and Toothless of How to Train Your Dragon. In addition, the balloon cast includes new balloonicles (a Macy’s Parade hybrid of cold-air balloon and vehicle) of the famed-spokesduck the Aflac Duck and Cloe the Holiday Clown, as well as the return of the KOOL-AID Man. In celebration of the 75th anniversary of the film classic, balloonheads of The Wizard of OZcharacters will also make a special appearance.

FLOATING SCENE MAKERS

Macy’s floating stages take to the streets bringing a collection of whimsical treats that transport spectators into worlds of fantasy. This year’s five new fantasy floats include Cracker Jack® Popcorn’s At the Ball Game; Sino-American Friendship Association’s Beauty of Beijing, Dora and Friends: Aventuras Fantasticas, GoldieBlox’s The Girl-Powered Spinning Machine, and Pirate Booty®’s Treasure Hunt.

The returning float roster includes 1-2-3 Sesame Street; Big Apple; Bridge To The Future; Daytime, Play Time, Night Time Too…; Dreamseeker by Cirque du Soleil®; Enchanting World of Lindt Chocolate; Frozen Fall Fun; Goldfish® on Parade; International Cele-bear-ation Clock Tower; It’s All Rock & Roll; Marion-Carole Showboat; Mount Rushmore’s American Pride; On The Roll Again; Pep Rally; Santa’s Sleigh; The Smurfs; Stirrin’ Up Sweet Sensations; Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; Tom Turkey; Waves of Conservation; Winter Wonderland In Central Park; and A World at Sea.

DRUM ROLL, PLEASE…

At the center of the spectacle bringing the warm energy, enthusiasm and joy of performing are the nation’s best marching bands and rollicking performance groups. Together they add the musical heart and whimsical talent portion to the holiday revelry, delighting spectators along the route and providing television viewers with showstopping performances. Twelve performance ensembles will take up the call of the baton and march down the streets of Manhattan creating a wave of excitement. Joining the Thanksgiving Day revelry are American Fork High School (American Fork, UT), Bahama All Stars Marching Band (Nassau, Bahamas), Baldwinsville High School (Baldwinsville, NY), Center Grove High School (Greenwood, IN), Foothill High School (Henderson, NV), Georgia State University (Atlanta), Macy’s Great American Marching Band (United States), Madison Scouts Anniversary Corps (Madison, WI), NYPD Marching Band (New York City), Paul Laurence Dunbar High School (Lexington, KY), Western Carolina University (Cullowhee, NC), and Winston Churchill High School (San Antonio, TX). The supply of sometimes wacky, but always fun entertainment includes the nation’s best performance groups. Taking the spotlight along the line of march are the Friendswood High School Wranglerettes (Friendswood, TX), Harlem Globetrotters, The New Orleans Baby Doll Ladies featuring Music Ambassador DJ Hektik (New Orleans, LA), Red Hot Mamas (Post Falls, ID), Spirit of America Dance (United States) and Varsity Spirit Cheer (United States).

AN INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE

The celebrity party begins early on Thanksgiving Day via various social media outlets when fans follow @macys to get special content from the Confetti Carpet. Pulling back the curtain to check out what happens backstage before the celebrities join the Parade, the Confetti Carpet will be the place for wacky and hilarious interactions with our celebrity cast. The revelry continues once the Parade steps off as the Cracker Jack At the Ball Game float passes by, giving spectators the opportunity to participate in the ultimate selfie if they are caught on the baseball-themed float’s live cameras and beamed to the stadium’s jumbotron. To cap off Parade day interactive experiences, the New York Daily News’ Big Apple float will take special panoramic photos all along the route, which spectators can access via macys.com/parade post event, to see if they can spot themselves in the stunning 360-degree photos.

Fans nationwide can kick-off their own Parade experiences early by downloading the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade App. The App will give fans the chance to interact with the famed march, learn more about the elements and share content with their friends. From behind-the-scenes previews to the exclusive Elf-o-matic feature, which allows fans to transform themselves into an Elf balloon and share their high-flying debut with friends; the App is a one-stop destination for all things Macy’s Parade. The free app will be available from the iTunes® App Store or from Google Play. In addition to the interactive app experience this year, Macy’s iconic characters return to take center stage in a series of animated spots featuring Tom Turkey, Cloe the Holiday Clown, Happy Hippo, the rambunctious Elf trio and more. Catch the action on macys.com/parade and watch how Macy’s star characters prep for the big day as they re-enact scenes from classic New York based movies.

A TELEVISION SPECTACLE

A spectacle like no other, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is broadcast nationwide on NBC. Regularly one of the nation’s most viewed events, millions of families tune-in every year to watch the revelry unfold. This year, the TODAY Show’s Matt Lauer, Al Roker and Savannah Guthrie will anchor the three-hour broadcast from 9 a.m. – Noon in all time zones.

For public information on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade including the Parade route, spectators tips and more, 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.

Affinia Manhattan 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.
GMC Truck is the official truck of the Macy’s Parade.
Timberland is the official outerwear provider.
Remo is the official drumhead provider.

ALL TALENT, PERFORMANCES, ELEMENTS AND INFORMATION INCLUDED ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
MACY’S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE PRESS MATERIALS INCLUDING MULTIMEDIA ASSETS ARE AVAILABLE AT MACYSPARADEPRESS.COM

Contacts

Macy’s
Orlando Veras / Holly Thomas
646-429-7450 / 646-429-5250
Orlando.Veras@macys.com / Holly.Thomas@macys.com

Contacts

Macy’s
Orlando Veras / Holly Thomas
646-429-7450 / 646-429-5250
Orlando.Veras@macys.com / Holly.Thomas@macys.com