Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade!

HOLLYWOOD—Who is ready for the 98th annual Thanksgiving Day Parade? It is set for November 28, 2024, in New York City and will be shown to viewers live on NBC that same day from 8:30 am to noon EST. It will be hosted by Savannah Gunthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker. The lineup will feature 17 giant helium balloons, 15 heritage and novelty balloons, 27 floats, more than 700 clowns, 11 marching bands, 10 performance groups, a host of musical stars and the one and only Santa Claus.

Some of the first-time balloons are Minnie Mouse, Marshall from Paw Patrol, Spiderman, Goku, Gabby, Extraordinary Noorah & The Elf on the Shelf. Beagle Scout Snoopy, Bluey, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Dino and Baby Dino, Kung Fu Panda’s Po. Monkey D. Luffy, Pikachu & Eevee, Pillsbury Doughboy, Ronald McDonald, SpongeBob SquarePants & Gary, and Stuart the Minion. In case, you were wondering how much it costs to inflate the balloons for the parade which uses 300,000 to 700,000 cubic feet of helium, it’s an estimated $510,000.

The floats are stored in a three-story building that is located at 140 State Street and is home to the many floats and balloons. Costumes and set pieces from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, many of which are designed and built in house by a team of dozens of talented artists, welders, carpenters, balloonatics and more. Floats range from $30,000 to $100,000 for each float. With 30 million TV viewers, the parade is a big moneymaker. Macy’s is famously tight-lipped about parade economics. Sponsoring a balloon and/or float is not a small cost. Companies that participate must pay for the construction in addition to a parade fee of $190,000 and that was two years ago.

The following stars are listed to perform at this year’s Thanksgiving Day Parade: Jennifer Hudson, Kylie Minogue, Billy Porter, Dan + Shay, Dasha, Idina Menzel, Walker Hayes, T-Pain and The Temptations among many more. Some big names in the parade as well, such as Chloe, Bishop Biggs, Joey Mcintyre, Walker Hayes, Kylie Cantrall, Jimmy Fallon & The Roots, as well as Ariana Madix, according to the latest press release. Believe it or not, the very first parade took place back in 1924, when employees marched through 34^thStreet dressed as clowns, cowboys, knights and sheikhs. There were floats and professional bands. And to top it all off, there were twenty-five live animals borrowed from the Central Park Zoo.

We all know that Santa Claus will ride in the last float and disembarked on to the marquee over Macy’s front door. So who funds this extravaganza, according to published reports, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is completely privately funded by the Macy’s brand itself. Macy’s considers the beloved spectacle its “annual gift to the nation,”  but that’s not to say there isn’t profit potential. Since the inaugural event in 1924, the parade has only been suspended from 1942-1944 while World War II raged overseas. After September 11, 2001, as part of an effort to find a sense of normalcy, the beloved Thanksgiving tradition endured.

If you want to go in person to see the parade, you better arrive around 6am to score a decent spot. The Upper West Side is the best area to view the parade, make sure you dress warmly, or book a hotel along the parade route. The 100^th Annual Macy’s Parade will be the biggest and greatest parade of all time, according to Macy’s.

Rose’s Scoop: Wishing everyone a blessed, safe Thanksgiving Day!