Santa Arrives!

38 minutes ago

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It’s officially Christmas season!

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade closed out with a special appearance from none other than Santa Claus! 

Following an introduction from the Today hosts, the jolly gift-giver appeared on a North Pole float — accompanied by The Bear actress Liza Colón-Zayas as Mrs. Claus.

Jennifer Hudson Turns Up the Joy on 34th Street

42 minutes ago

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Just before Santa Claus’ big arrival, EGOT winner and talk show host Jennifer Hudson took over Herald Square during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Nov. 28.

The American Idol alum showed off powerhouse vocals while she sang “Jingle Bells” and “Let There Be Joy” from her recent holiday album, The Gift of Love.

The appearance marked Hudson’s Macy’s parade debut.

Dan + Shay Cook Up Country for Thanksgiving

1 hr 1 min ago

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Country sensation Dan + Shay topped the Heartwarming Holiday Countdown float by Hallmark during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday.

The musical duo performed their song “Officially Christmas” from their recent festive project, It’s Officially Christmas: The Double Album — while actors Jonathan Bennett and Ginna Claire Mason danced atop the float.

It’s been 10 years since Dan + Shay were in the Thanksgiving Day Parade, last appearing in 2014.

Jimmy Fallon and the Roots Take Sixth Avenue

1 hr 1 min ago

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All aboard the Santaland Express with Jimmy Fallon and the Roots.

Fallon celebrated his new Christmas album, Holiday Seasoning, with a performance of original track “Hey Rudy” alongside the group.

The late night host and his The Tonight Show band greeted parade-goers from atop the steam engine-replica float.

T-Pain Snaps His Fingers with Jennie-O

1 hr 22 min ago

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T-Pain appeared on the Jennie-O golden turkey float to deliver a show-stopping performance.

The rapper showed off some fun dance moves as he performed a medley of his hits “Good Life,” “Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin’),” “Low” and “All I Do Is Win.”

“This performance is gonna be the music equivalent of the mac touchin the yams,” teased T-Pain in an Instagram post on Nov. 27.

‘Riverdance’ Performer Recovers from Quick Fall

1 hr 28 min ago

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The cast of Riverdance, a long-running theatrical show featuring traditional Irish music and dance, performed on the broadcast — and one part didn’t exactly go as planned.

A duo of dancers took center stage at one point during the performance, and one of them briefly fell to the ground before quickly getting back up with a smile and finishing the number.

Bishop Briggs Paints the ‘Wednesday’ Float Black

1 hr 28 min ago

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Wednesday Addams signature frown was a new addition to the Macy’s parade on Nov. 28. The Netflix character and her brother, Pugsley, joined by Thing, topped Netflix’s Thanksgiving float.

According to Macy’s, the faces of Wednesday and Pugsley took 100 hours to sculpt.

Singer Bishop Briggs appeared on the float to perform a cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black.”

The second season of Wednesday is set to start streaming on Netflix in 2025.

Cynthia Erivo Gives Hoda Her Flowers

1 hr 54 min ago

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While speaking with Al Roker, Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb about the release of her new film Wicked, Cynthia Erivo took a moment to recognize Kotb as the host marked her final Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, giving her a bouquet of white flowers.

“These flowers are for you because I know that this is the last Thanksgiving parade you’re doing,” the actress, 37, told a visibly emotional Kotb. “I wanted to celebrate that and I wanted to say, We love you. Thank you for all of the hard work you’ve done all of these years.”

Marshall Patrols Manhattan

1 hr 55 min ago

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Get fired up — Paw Patrol‘s resident Dalmatian is officially a part of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.

The Marshall balloon is Paw Patrol‘s latest addition to the annual parade, and, according to Macy’s is twice the size of a standard New York City Fire Department firetruck.

Spidey Returns to N.Y.C.

1 hr 55 min ago

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Look who is swinging across New York City, again?

The Amazing Spider-Man is back in the Macy’s parade as a balloon for the first time in over a decade.

The new balloon of the comic-book hero is 44-feet-tall and 77.5-feet long. According to Macy’s website, Spider-Man is 34-feet-wide — AKA as wide as five yellow taxi cabs.

Kylie Brings the Pop!

2 hr 3 min ago

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Australian icon Kylie Minogue skipped the float and took to Herald Square, performing during the 2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in front of the brand’s flagship department store.

Minogue wowed the gathered crowd in New York with a high-energy medley featuring her 2023 hit “Padam Padam” as well as “Slow” and “Can’t Get You Out of My Head.”

On Nov. 27, the Grammy winner took to Instagram and teased the performance, writing, “LOVE being back in New York City!”

Pasta Knight’s ‘Fight Song’

2 hr 3 min ago

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Oh, the pastabilities. For the first-time ever, Rao’s has a special float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade — and pasta fans everywhere can rejoice.

The Pasta Knight atop the Rao’s float is actually made up of a variety of fun pasta shapes, including orecchiette, fusilli, penne, tortiglioni, rotelle and rigatoni.

Rachel Platten appeared on the float to perform a medley of songs including her signature hit, “Fight Song.”

Hoda Sends a Signal to Jenna

2 hr 11 min ago

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In honor of Hoda Kotb’s final Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as a Today host, she sent co-host Jenna Bush Hager a pre-planned shoutout while cheerleaders danced to a Chappell Roan mix during the broadcast.

Amid the performance, Kotb put up two fists and shook them toward herself — inspired by Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang’s “RockaFellaCenta” music video.

“So, I don’t know if you guys remember, but there’s a song called ‘RockaFellaCenta’ that Matt Rogers does with Bowen Yang, and there’s a part of it where he says, ‘I’m waiting outside and I’m looking for Jenna Bush Hager, Jenna Bush Hager.’ Whenever I see Jenna, I go like this,” Kotb recently said on Today.

At the time, she decided the gesture would be her way of communicating with Bush Hager through the broadcast: “Watch for it!”

The Temptations Bring the Sunshine

2 hr 48 min ago

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Motown icons The Temptations are traversing across New York City on The Wondership, a.k.a. Wonder bread’s 2024 Thanksgiving parade float.

The group performed their beloved hit “My Girl” during the NBC broadcast on Thursday.

The Wondership featured Wonder bread’s classic red, yellow and blue colors via balloons and confetti.

Escape with Idina

2 hr 52 min ago

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Idina Menzel is embracing a different type of green — the greenery on the Bronx Zoo’s special float to mark the New York zoo’s 125th anniversary. The Wondrous World of Wildlife highlights the zoo’s western lowland gorillas and giraffes, among other animals.

Menzel, 53, performed “Great Escape” from the new Broadway musical Redwood.

Jimmy Sports Sunglasses in the Early Morning

2 hr 54 min ago

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Good morning, Jimmy Fallon!

The 50-year-old comedian and Tonight Show host swapped his late-night gig for an early a.m. appearance at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, where he wore sunglasses and festive red and green plaid pants.

Fallon joked he was protecting his eyes from the sun — amid a rainy, cloud-filled N.Y.C. day!

Charli Dances in Herald Square

3 hr 5 min ago

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TikTok sensation Charli D’Amelio, 20, is making her Macy’s Thanksgiving debut on the annual parade’s oldest float: Tom Turkey.

D’Amelio danced alongside the float and many other individuals to a rendition of “Danke Schoen,” originally recorded by Wayne Newton and released in 1963.

Bluey Makes a Quick Recovery

3 hr 26 min ago

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Bluey hit a quick snag as the 51-foot-long balloon, based on the titular character from the Australian animated series, popped the day before the parade, per NBC New York. The outlet reported that the balloon popped as it was getting inflated in Central Park West, with a large hole in one of the paws.

Thankfully, parade organizers worked overtime to make Bluey whole again! “Hey all, the balloons are ready and I’m glad to report that Bluey is recovering!,” NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell confirmed on X the night before the parade. “Bluey is going to play like a champion.”

Death Has Never Looked So Good!

3 hr 32 min ago

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Eternity isn’t all it’s cracked up to be — just ask the ladies from Death Becomes Her, a new Broadway musical based on the 1992 movie starring Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn.

The cast of the musical, including Megan Hilty, Christopher Sieber, Jennifer Simard and Destiny’s Child alum Michelle Williams, performed “If You Want Perfection” in Herald Square ahead of the parade’s arrival during Thursday’s broadcast.

Minnie Mouse Takes Flight

3 hr 41 min ago

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Believe it or not, Minnie Mouse is making her Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade debut in 2024. The 60-foot-tall balloon of the iconic Disney character includes Minnie’s iconic polka-dot dress.

Minnie is 60-feet-long and 34-feet-wide.

Take a Trip to Hell’s Kitchen

3 hr 47 min ago

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Now we’re in New York!

The cast of Hell’s Kitchen, a musical loosely based on Alicia Keys’ life, performed “The Gospel” and the Grammy winner’s iconic N.Y.C. anthem, “Empire State of Mind,” during the 2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Hell’s Kitchen, which was previously nominated for best musical at the Tony Awards, is set to play its final show on Broadway next April.

Hoda’s Last Parade

4 hr 2 min ago

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Hoda Kotb is hosting her final Thanksgiving Day Parade as co-anchor of Today on Thursday. Kotb has co-helmed the parade alongside Savannah Guthrie since 2018.

Earlier this year, Kotb announced that she was stepping away from her anchoring duties after 17 years to focus on her kids. Kotb’s last day on the show is set for Friday, Jan. 10. Craig Melvin will begin co-anchoring the Today show the following week.

Don’t Rain on My Parade

4 hr 19 min ago

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Inclement weather is plaguing New York City as the parade prepares to kick off, with low temperatures of 46 degrees and on-and-off rain.

Of course, temperatures in the 40s are nowhere near as cold as they’ve been, historically. In 2018, temperatures were 19 degrees Fahrenheit, one of the coldest turkey days on record for the city — and for the parade performers.

Ahead of the parade, a Macy’s spokesperson told The New York Post that the balloons only wouldn’t fly “if there are sustained winds at about 23 miles an hour.” Thursday’s wind speeds are expected to reach 9 mph, so the balloons are good to go.

What’s It Like to Walk in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade? PEOPLE Tried It!

6 hr 39 min ago

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Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be one of the lucky people to march in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade? PEOPLE tried it back in 2021, and had a blast (despite the cold and early start time).

PEOPLE’s Skyler Caruso served as an escort for NBC’s Peacock float that year and documented the journey around the city on bus and on foot, which all kicked off at 6 a.m. EST.

“While we jumped, skipped and danced for the crowd, we were greeted with selfies, cheers and iPhone cameras in response. Seeing the joyful reaction on everyone’s faces, from both children and adults alike, is what makes this experience so unforgettable,” wrote Caruso.

Read about her experience here.

Fun Facts about the Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

6 hr 39 min ago

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The Thanksgiving Day Parade is a long-held tradition in New York City — the first Macy’s parade was held in 1924. At the time, it was much less elaborate than modern editions: a group of animals from the Central Park Zoo marched down a street in Harlem accompanied by a very special group of people: A handful of immigrant Macy’s employees who wanted to express how thankful they were for living in the United States that year.

The first balloon didn’t join the parade until 1927 — Felix the Cat — and since has been joined by many other helium friends. This year’s parade has 22 balloons.

For more on the history of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, click here.

Who Is Performing in the 2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade?

6 hr 39 min ago

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As is tradition, many of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade floats in 2024 will feature special celebrity performers, singing their hits — or classics — along the Manhattan parade route. This year’s slate includes stars like Idina Menzel, who will top the Bronx Zoo’s float; Chloë Bailey, who is appearing on the Toys “R” Us float; and The Temptations, who are joining the parade from the Wonder float.

Here’s the full list of other celebrities performing or making an appearance.

• Alex Warren
• Ariana Madix
• Bishop Briggs
• Charlie D’Amelio
• Coco Jones
• Cole Escola
• Dan + Shay
• Dasha
• Jennifer Hudson
• Jimmy Fallon & The Roots
• Joey McIntyre
• Kylie Cantrell
• Kylie Minogue
• Lea Salonga
• Liza Colón-Zayas
• Loud Luxury
• Natti Natasha
• New York Liberty and Ellie the Elephant
• Rachel Platten
• Roman Mejia
• Sebastián Yatra
• Tiler Peck
• T-Pain
• Walker Hayes
• The War and Treaty