Lets Have A Parade: The World-Renowned Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade Kicks off the Holiday Season with Its 91st Spectacle of Wonder

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Business Wire 1-Nov-2017 9:00 AM
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The Annual March Will Once Again Feature a Host of Surprises along with Its Signature Giant Character Balloons, Floats of Fantasy, the Nations Finest Marching Bands, Whimsical Performance Groups, Celebrity Appearances and the One-and-Only Santa Claus
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- This Thanksgiving, a magical march returns to the streets of New York City and to homes across the United States as the 91st Annual MacysThanksgiving Day Parade kicks off the holiday season with its signature spectacle of wonder. On Thursday, Nov. 23, the streets of Manhattan will come alive at the sound of Lets Have A Parade! Ready to spread holiday cheer, the annual procession is sure to delight more than 3.5 million spectators and more than 50 million viewers nationwide with its traditional merriment.
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The world-famous MacysThanksgiving Day Parade kicks off the Holiday Season with its 91st Spectacle of Wonder on Thursday, Nov. 23 at 9 a.m. ET. (Graphic: Business Wire)
For more than 90 years, MacysThanksgiving Day Parade has signaled the start of the holiday season for millions of families. We are thrilled to once again come together as a nation to give this gift of joy and wonder to all, said Susan Tercero, group vice-president of MacysThanksgiving Day Parade. She added, Our incredible team has planned a fantastic spectacle featuring an amazing line-up of giant character balloons, floats of fantasy, the nations best marching bands and performance groups, a dazzling array of musical artists, all coming together to herald the arrival of the one-and-only Santa Claus.
Since the first march in November of 1924, the Macys Parade has captivated audiences and become synonymous with the start of the holiday season. For the 91st edition, the line-up will feature 17 giant character balloons; 28 legacy balloons, balloonicles, balloonheads and trycaloons; 26 floats; 1,100 cheerleaders and dancers; more than 1,000 clowns; 12 marching bands and six performance groups.
STARS ON PARADE
The star power on Parade will once again feature some of the nations most riveting performers. Taking to the streets of New York City on board one of Macys signature floating stages, and thrilling the nation with their performances at Herald Square will be 98 Degrees, Lauren Alaina, Cam, Sabrina Carpenter, Andra Day & Common, Sara Evans, Jimmy Fallon & The Roots, Flo Rida, Goo Goo Dolls, Kat Graham, Andy Grammer, Angelica Hale, Olivia Holt, Nicky Jam, Wyclef Jean, Bravos Top Chef stars Padma Lakshmi & Tom Colicchio, Dustin Lynch, Miss America 2018 Cara Mund, Leslie Odom Jr. and the cast & Muppets of Sesame Street, Bebe Rexha, Smokey Robinson, Jojo Siwa, and more.
FLYING ICONS
Taking flight on Turkey Day will be the Parades signature giant character helium balloons. Since their introduction in 1927, these giants of the sky have featured some of the worlds most beloved characters. This year, four giant characters will debut including Disney Frozens Olaf, Illumination presents Dr. SeussThe Grinch, PAW Patrol andJett from Super Wings.
The balloon line-up will also feature the return of Harold the Baseball Player, a legacy Macys character prominently featured in Twentieth Century Foxs iconic holiday film classic, Miracle on 34th Street. In celebration of the films 70th anniversary, the Harold heritage balloon has been recreated for this years Parade, painted in hues of black, white and grey, to look exactly as it did on-screen during a memorable scene in the 1947 film. In addition to Harold, the famed spokesduck, The Aflac Duck, will debut as an all-new balloonicle (a Macys Parade innovation of hybrid cold-air balloon and vehicle) and is sure to have fans quacking with joy and laughter down the route.
Returning giant balloon characters include Angry Birds Red; Charlie Brown; Diary of A Wimpy Kid; Sinclairs Dino; The Elf on the Shelf; Hello Kitty; Ice Ages Scrat and His Acorn; Pikachu; Pillsbury Doughboy; Red Mighty Morphin Power Ranger; Ronald McDonald; SpongeBob SquarePants; and DreamWorks Trolls.
THE STAGE FOR ENTERTAINMENT
Floating down the route this Thanksgiving, the Parades signature floats transport spectators to worlds of wonder. Designed and created by the incredible artists of MacysParade Studio, which include carpenters, painters, animators, sculptors, metal fabricators, scenic/costume designers and electricians, this years line-up of floats sets an unparalleled stage for entertainment. The painstaking process of creating a Macys Parade float is both a creative and technical endeavor. Macys Parade floats are often three stories tall and several lanes of traffic wide, but must collapse to no more than 12 -feet tall and 8-feet wide in order to travel safely from the New Jersey home of the Parade Studio to the Manhattan starting line via the Lincoln Tunnel each Thanksgiving eve. These creations are not only works of art, but also engineering marvels.
This year, five new floats will debut including Everyones Favorite Bake Shop by Entenmanns (Sara Evans), Harvest in the Valley by Green Giant (Lauren Alaina), Parade Day Mischief by SOUR PATCH KIDS Candy (Nicky Jam), Shimmer and Shine by Nickelodeon (Jojo Siwa) and Universal Playground by Sprout (Angelica Hale). A special float by Delta Air Lines will also debut to commemorate the season of togetherness with the perfect gift of song, as more than 125 Macys employees gather to form a one-of-a-kind, cross-generational choir aboard the Macys Singing ChristmasTree.
The returning float roster includes 1-2-3 Sesame Street by Sesame Street (Leslie Odom Jr. and the cast and Muppets of Sesame Street); The Aloha Spirit by Kings Hawaiian (Goo Goo Dolls), Big Apple by NY Daily News (Bebe Rexha); Big City Cheer! by Spirit of America Productions (Miss America 2018 Cara Mund); Building A Better World by Girl Scouts of the USA (Andra Day and Common); The Colonels Road Trip to NYC by Kentucky Fried Chicken (Dustin Lynch); The Cranberry Cooperative by Ocean Spray; Deck the Halls by Balsam Hill (Olivia Holt); Discover Adventure! by Build-A-Bear (Sabrina Carpenter); Frozen Fall Fun by Discover/NHL (Wyclef Jean, NHL Hockey Hall of Famers Ray Bourque & Bryan Trottier); Fun House by Krazy Glue (Flo Rida); Heartwarming Holiday Countdown by Hallmark Channel (98 Degrees); Its All Rock & Roll by Gibson Brands (Jimmy Fallon & The Roots); Mount Rushmores American Pride by South Dakota Department of Tourism (Smokey Robinson); On The Roll Again by Homewood Suites by Hilton (Andy Grammer); Santas Sleigh; Snoopys Doghouse by Peanuts Worldwide; Stirrin Up Sweet Sensations by DominoSugar (Cam); Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by Nickelodeon (Kat Graham); and Tom Turkey featuring Bravos Top Chef (Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio).
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. This years bands include Colony High School (Palmer, Alaska); Davis High School (Kaysville, Utah); Rosemount High School (Rosemount, Minnesota); West Harrison High School (Gulfport, Mississippi); Rockford High School (Rockford, Michigan); Ohio University (Athens, Ohio); Nation Ford High School (Fort Mill, South Carolina); Trumbull High School (Trumbull, Connecticut); Prairie View A&M University (Prairie View, Texas); The United States Air Force Band and Honor Guard; MacysGreat American Marching Band (United States); and the NYPD Marching Band (New York, NY).
Specialty Parade entertainment always promises a unique, exciting, and sometimes humorous look at the nations finest performance groups. Returning to the line-up this year are the dancers and cheerleaders of Spirit of America Dance Stars and Spirit of America Cheer. These groups combined feature more than 1,000 of the nations very best performers recruited from small towns and big cities. Days before Thanksgiving, they will gather for the first time in NYC, ahead of their once-in-a-lifetime national spotlight. Adding to the dance-floor revelry will be 34th & Phunk, a special group commissioned and produced by Macys with organizers from the United States Tournament of Dance. Choreographed by the legendary artist Willdabeast Adams and acclaimed dancer Janelle Ginestra, 34th & Phunk will be a one-of-a-kind hip-hop dance crew featuring performers of all ages and from all walks of life, who have a passion for dance and precision movement. Bringing a Broadway flair to the spectacle will be the talented kids of Camp Broadway, who this year have auditioned and selected dancers/singers from military bases around the nation, and who will pay tribute to America with their performance. Rounding out the performance group list are the zany Red Hot Mamas (Post Falls, Idaho), who will deliver their signature humorous take on the holiday season, along with the whimsical stars of the Big Apple Circus (New York, NY).
A GRAND TELEVISION SPECIAL EVENT
The MacysThanksgiving Day Parade is the nations biggest and most anticipated holiday celebration. Broadcast nationally on NBC, with millions of families nationwide tuning in to watch the excitement unfold, the TODAY Shows Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie and Al Roker will host the three-hour broadcast from 9 a.m. noon (in all time zones). In addition, Telemundo will simulcast the Parade in Spanish with the event hosted by stars Carlos Ponce, Jessica Carrillo and Karim Mendiburu.
On 34th Street, Broadways best shows will take a star turn in front of Macys famed flagship with special performances from the casts of Anastasia, Dear Evan Hansen, Once On This Island and SpongeBob SquarePants The Broadway Musical. In addition, the show-stopping Radio City Rockettes will bring their signature high-kicking magic to Herald Square.
INTERACTIVE FUN
This year, the magic of Macys iconic balloons and Parade artistry will head south for the winter to give fans an up close and personal experience for the holidays. Starting on Saturday, Nov. 18, Universal OrlandoResorts destination-wide Holidays celebration begins, featuring the all-new Universals Holiday Parade featuring Macys. This one-of-a-kind experience is where merry and mayhem mesh to create a fantastic treat for park guests that features more than 15 incredibly-detailed floats, colorful stilt-walkers and characters, and a specially created cast of all new Macys balloons that you cant see anywhere else. Universals Holiday Parade featuring Macys will run daily from Nov. 18 through Jan. 6.
The Macys Parade is always a unique multi-level, magical march that provides spectators with different experiences, whether they watch it on television with friends and family or scout the perfect spot on the route to watch it unfold live. To give fans another unique viewing opportunity, Macys, along with NBCUniversal and Verizon will once again take viewers closer to the magic via up close and personal views of the event through a 360-degree livestream of the Parade on Verizon's YouTube page. The stream, found atwww.youtube.com/verizon,will be synced with the start of theParade.
For an insiders look at the holiday procession, fans nationwide should visit macys.com/parade for regular updates including behind the scenes previews, interactive historical information, and more.
The 91st Annual MacysThanksgiving 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. At 34th Street, the Parade will make its final turn west and end at 7th Avenue in front of MacysHerald Square. A Holiday Treat for Children Everywhere has been the guiding motto of this annual tradition for more than nine decades and is the mandate that continues to this day. From the very first Parade to this years spectacle, Macys own employees, along with their friends and family, have gathered together to give the nation a perfect holiday gift, and now its time for another dazzling celebration. In 5,4,3,2,1 Lets Have A Parade!
For more information on the MacysThanksgiving Day Parade, please visit www.macys.com/parade or call the Parade hotline at 212-494-4495. Follow @macys on various social networks and join the conversation using #MacysParade.
Delta Air Lines, New Yorks #1 airline, is the official airline of MacysThanksgiving Day Parade.RAM Trucks is the official truck of the Macys Parade.Remo is the official drumhead provider.The Stewart is the official hotel partner of MacysThanksgiving Day ParadeUnder Armour is the official outerwear provider.
PLEASE NOTE: All talent, performers, elements and information included are subject to change. Additional MacysThanksgiving Day Parade media materials including images, video and archival content are available at macysparadepress.com.

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Macys Media RelationsOrlando Veras, 646-429-7450orlando.veras@macys.com
Source: Macys