CUE THE CONFETTI! IT'S TIME TO CELEBRATE WITH THE 96TH MACY'S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE(R) NOV. 24 ON NBC AND PEACOCK

Annual Three-Hour Spectacular Kicks Off the Holiday Season with Balloons, Floats, Performances and a Visit From Santa Claus

NEW YORK - Nov. 1, 2022 - The three-hour Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade(R), the nation's most beloved holiday event, returns to usher in the start of the holiday season on Thursday, Nov. 24 at 9 a.m. ET/PT on NBC and Peacock. The network will air an encore telecast at 2 p.m.

The 96th edition of the parade will bring the nation together with a dazzling lineup featuring giant character helium balloons, fantastic floats, showstopping marching bands, high-spirited performance groups, whimsical clowns, music stars and the one-and-only Santa Claus.

For decades, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has been one of the nation's most anticipated and watched holiday celebrations. "TODAY's" Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker will be back to host the Emmy Award-winning celebration.

The magic comes together with Macy's signature ingredients. This year's parade will feature more than 5,000 volunteers, 16 giant character balloons, 28 floats, 40 novelty and heritage inflatables, more than 700 clowns, 12 marching bands and 10 performance groups and an array of musical stars.

"The Macy's Thanksgiving Parade is an iconic event where the streets of New York come alive with vibrancy, pure elation and an excitement that the holiday season has arrived," said Jen Neal, Executive Vice President, Entertainment Live Events, Specials and E! News, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. "We feel honored to share that joy with our NBC audiences and look forward to bringing this wonderful tradition to the entire country."

"Since its first march in 1924 and through the decades, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has served to bring joy to the millions who gather nationwide each year to experience it with friends and family," said Will Coss, Executive Producer of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. "This November, as we once again set the stage for the start of the holiday season, we are thrilled to showcase another spectacle full of magic and wonder that will help create everlasting memories with loved ones during this special time of year."

Stars on Parade

The holiday season's biggest stage for entertainment is the Macy's Parade and this year a host of stars will join the lineup to celebrate with the nation. Joining the festivities will be Paula Abdul; Big Time Rush; Cam; Jordan Davis; Blue's Clues & You! host Josh Dela Cruz; Gloria, Sasha and Emily Estefan; Jimmy Fallon and The Roots, Fitz and the Tantrums; Kirk Franklin; Mario Lopez and family; Ziggy Marley; Miss America 2022 Emma Broyles; the cast and Muppets of Sesame Street(R); Sean Paul; the cast of Peacock's Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin (Adam Devine, Sarah Hyland and Flula Borg); Joss Stone; Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue; Jordin Sparks; Dionne Warwick; Betty Who; and Santa Claus. The treats keep coming when the stars of Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock on Apple TV+, appear throughout the broadcast; join Uncle "Travelling" Matt as he goes on an epic journey away from Fraggle Rock friends and family to learn the meaning of the "Macy's Thanksgiving Day" holiday and the impossible to answer question: "What is a parade?" Additional talent to be announced.

Broadway's best shows will also perform for the national broadcast audience. The show will kick off with a spectacular opening number from Lea Michele and the cast of Broadway's Funny Girl. Additional Broadway performances will include showstoppers A Beautiful Noise, Some Like It Hot, and in celebration of its 25th Anniversary Disney'sThe Lion King. Rounding out the theatrics will be the iconic Radio City Rockettes(R).

Ballooning Icons

Conceived during the Parade's infancy, the giant character balloons have become a signature of the annual celebration. Since 1927, the world's most popular characters have been transformed into high-flying art in the sky. Originally inspired by marionettes, the Parade's balloons first debuted as upside down puppets filled with air which were carried down the Parade route on sticks. The design later evolved to include helium, making them high-flying giants. Over time Macy's artists innovated creating several types of inflatables including balloonheads (inflated heads sitting atop of a costumed participant), balloonicles (hybrid inflatables with vehicles inside) and most recently, trycaloons (tandem tricycles with an inflated balloon character).

New giants joining the line-up this year include Bluey by BBC; Diary of A Wimpy Kid(R)by Abrams Books; DINO and Baby DINO by Sinclair Oil; and Stuart the Minion from Illumination.

Making return appearances to the skies above New York City are giant balloon favorites including Ada Twist, Scientist by Netflix; Astronaut Snoopy by PEANUTS Worldwide;The Boss Baby from DreamWorks Animation; Goku by Toei Animation; a Funko Pop!-inspired Grogu(TM) by Funko and in partnership with Lucasfilm; Chase from PAW Patrol(R)by Nickelodeon; Pillsbury Doughboy(TM) by Pillsbury(TM); Red Titan from "Ryan's World" by Sunlight Entertainment and pocket.watch; Ronald McDonald(R) by McDonald's(R)USA; Papa Smurf from The Smurfs(TM) by Nickelodeon; Pikachu(TM) & Eevee(TM) by The Pokémon Company International; and SpongeBob SquarePants & Gary by Nickelodeon.

The inflatable lineup also includes a new balloonicle of Striker, the U.S. Soccer Star by FOX Sports. Returning inflatables include Sinclair's Baby DINOs, the Go Bowling(TM)balloonicles; Hot Air Dolly by Universal Orlando Resort, Smokey Bear by the USDA Forest Service; and Macy's very own special reindeer Tiptoe and Toni the Bandleader Bear.

Floating Fantasy

The Parade's signature floats transport spectators to magical worlds. These creations take a theme to new heights bringing magic to the streets of New York City and into homes nationwide. Conceived and crafted by the incredible artisans of Macy's Parade Studio - a design and production facility that includes carpenters, engineers, electricians, painters, animators, balloon technicians, sculptors, metal fabricators, scenic and costume designers - this year's line-up of floats showcase the animated theatricality that the Macy's Parade has become world-famous for.

This year five new floats will debut in the Turkey Day celebration. The floating wonders along with their scheduled performers include Baby Shark by Pinkfong and Nickelodeon (Ziggy Marley); Geoffrey's Dazzling Dance Party by Toys"R"Us (Jordin Sparks); People of First Light by Macy's; Supersized Slumber by Netflix (Ballet Hispánico); and The Wondership by Wonder (Cam).

The returning float roster and its scheduled performers include 1-2-3 Sesame Street(R) by Sesame Workshop(TM) (The cast and Muppets of Sesame Street); Big City Cheer by Spirit of America Productions (Miss America 2022 Emma Broyles); Big Turkey Spectacular by Jennie-O (Paula Abdul); Birds of a Feather Stream Together by Peacock(R) (Adam Devine, Sarah Hyland and Flula Borg); Blue's Clues & You! by Nickelodeon (Josh Dela Cruz); The Brick-changer by The LEGO(R) Group (Fitz and the Tantrums); Celebration Gator by the Louisiana Office of Tourism (Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue); Christmas in Town Square by Lifetime(R) (Kirk Franklin); Colossal Wave of Wonder by Kalahari Resorts and Conventions (Sean Paul); Deck the Halls by Balsam Hill(R) (Gloria, Sasha and Emily Estefan); Elf Pets(R) by The Lumistella Company(R); Everyone's Favorite Bake Shop by Entenmann's(R); Fantasy Chocolate Factory by Kinder(TM) (Big Time Rush); Harvest in the Valley by Green Giant(R) (Jordan Davis); Heartwarming Holiday Countdown by Hallmark Channel (Joss Stone); Her Future is STEM-Sational by Olay (Betty Who); Macy's Singing Christmas Tree (Macy's Choir); Magic Meets the Sea by Disney Cruise Line (Captain Minnie Mouse and Friends); Santa's Sleigh (Santa Claus); Snoopy's Doghouse by PEANUTS Worldwide; Tom Turkey (Mario Lopez and family); Toy House of Marvelous Milestones by New York Life (Dionne Warwick); Winter Wonderland in Central Park by Macy's (Jimmy Fallon and The Roots.)

Strike Up the Band

Bringing the beat to the holiday revelry will be a selection of the most gifted marching ensembles. Joining the line-up are Benedict College (Columbia, SC), Bourbon County High School (Paris, KY), Carmel High School (Carmel, IN), Clovis North Educational Center (Fresno, CA), Delfines Marching Band (Veracruz, Mexico), Macy's Great American Marching Band (United States), NYPD Marching Band (New York, NY), The Queer Big Apple Corps (New York, NY), South Dakota State University (Brookings, SD), Tarpon Springs High School (Tarpon Springs, FL), University of Missouri(Columbia, MO), and Vandegrift High School (Austin, TX).

Performance Spotlight

Taking entertainment to the next level will be the Parade's beloved performance groups who bring joy to the masses. This year's lineup will feature performances from the dazzling dancers of Ballet Hispánico, the hilarious Big Apple Circus, the rhythmic movement of Boss Kids, the artistry of the Fusion Winter Guard, two-steps and high kicks from the Kilgore Rangerettes, the puppeteering skills of Phantom Limb, the iconic stepping of The Sigma Gamma Rho Centennial Steppers, the energetic moves of the St. John's Dance Team, and the exuberance of Spirit of America Cheer and Spirit of America Dance Stars.

#MacysParade

For more information on the broadcast, visit http://www.nbc.com/macys-thanksgiving-day-parade and follow @NBC on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

For an insider's look at the holiday procession, fans nationwide should visit macys.com/parade for regular updates including behind-the-scenes previews, special tours, interactive historical information, educational activities, and more. Fans can also follow @macys on various social media networks and join the conversation using #MacysParade.

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade broadcast is produced by the Emmy Award-winning Brad Lachman Productions. Brad Lachman and Bill Bracken serve as executive producers and Ron de Moraes directs.

In order to create a more inclusive experience for blind and visually impaired viewers, NBCUniversal is proud to present the full NBC broadcast with live audio description on the Secondary Audio Program channel (SAP), provided by Descriptive Video Works. The broadcast will be available with additional audio narration, describing the rich visuals of the Parade.

PLEASE NOTE: All information included is subject to change.