Here’s Everything You Need To Know About The 2023 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade: Performers, Balloons, Floats, and More!
It’s almost that time of the year where the streets of New York City are flooded with crowds waiting to see the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. I remember tuning in to watch the performances as a child and it always feels so nostalgic every year. Whether you’re a casual watcher from home or in the crowd itself, Macy’s knows how to bring on extraordinary balloons, fabulous performances, and family fun wherever you are.
What’s a parade without any live music? A variety of artists will make an appearance this year including country star Alex Smith and fiddler singer-songwriter Amanda Shaw who will take over Celebration Gator’s float to bring some twang into Thanksgiving. Hip-hop group Bell Biv Devoe will grace the streets on the new TMNT: Mutant Mayhem float, while rock group Chicago will take the stage on The Wondership float.
K-Pop boy band Enhypen will make their debut appearance on the Pinkfong Baby Shark float, Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors spread some folk joy on the Igniting Memories float, Manuel Turizo brings reggaeton heat onto The Brick-Changer’s float from Lego, and girl group En Vogue will sparkle on Colossal Wave Of Wonder’s float.
Well-known faces join the line-up with global superstar Brandy on the Palace of Sweets float and David Foster and his wife Katharine McPhee performing on Hallmark Channel’s Heartwarming Holiday Countdown float.
Other performances include Pentatonix, Paul Russell, Jax, Miss America Grace Stanke, Jon Batiste, Cher, Jessie James Decker, and Ashley Park. The Broadway shows the will be performing in the parade are &Juliet, Back to the Future, How to Dance in Ohio, Shucked, and Spamalot, with Gutenberg! The Musical!’s Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells making a special appearance as well.
Wen it comes to balloons, many new and classic favorites will be gracing the parade. Fan favorites returning include a giant acorn, Bluey, Diary Of A Wimpy Kid, Goku, Grogu, Ice Cream Cone, Paw Patrol, Pikachu & Eevee, Pumpkins, Red Titan from Ryan’s World, Macy’s Stars, Ronald McDonald, Sinclair’s Dino, Smokey Bear, Snow Crystal Ornaments, Spongebob Squarepants, Stuart The Minion, and TipToe.
Some new characters in town that will make their debut include The Pillsbury Doughboy, Uncle Dan from Migration, Kung Fu Panda’s Po, Netflix’s favorite lizard Leo, Monkey D. Luffy from One Piece, Beagle Scout Snoopy, and Blue Cat & Chugs from Cool Cats.
Along with this, six balloonicles are set to ride down the streets of NYC. You’ll see Baby Dinos, Mouse King, Nutcracker, Tough Guy, Go Bowling, and Bulldog paddling behind their accompanied character.
Let’s bring it back down to the ground for a moment with these wonderful floats. Much like the balloons, we expect to see some wonderful returning floats as well as grand new ones — that might have some special performances!
This year’s returning floats include 1-2-3 Sesame Street, Big City Cheer, Ronald McDonald’s Big Red Shoe Car, Big Turkey Spectacular, Peacock’s Birds Of A Feather Stream Together, Celebration Gator, Colossal Wave Of Wonder, Deck The Halls, Elf Pets, Fantasy Chocolate Factory, Geoffrey’s Dazzling Dance Party, Harvest In The Valley, Heartwarming Holiday Countdown, Macy’s Singing Christmas Tree, Magic Meets The Sea, People Of The First Light, Pinkfong Baby Shark, Rocking Horse, Rocking Lobster, Rocking Moose, Santa’s Sleigh, The Brick-changer, The Wondership, Tom Turkey, and Winter Dragon.
The new floats include Camp Snoopy, Good Burger Mobile, Igniting Memories, Mutant Mayhem, Palace Of Sweets, and The Delicious Delectable World Of Wonka.
Whew! So many things are going on with this year’s parade so be sure to stay tuned on all the family fun November 23 at 8:30am ET on NBC or stream on Peacock.
