2022 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade: Full Lineup & TV Schedule
NBC is preparing to kick off its annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade this year on November 24, marking its 96th edition of the celebration.
The three-hour event that takes to the streets of New York City 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 ten performance groups alongside an array of musical stars, and even Santa Clause will be there.
It will air from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. in all time zones on NBC as well as be live-streamed on Peacock. The network will air an encore telecast at 2 p.m. Today‘s Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, and Al Roker will host the three-hour telecast for NBC and Peacock
Read on for more about NBC’s coverage of the Macy’s Parade.
The Stars
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; 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.
Apple TV+’s Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock will appear throughout the broadcast alongside Uncle “Travelling” Matt as he and the gang go on an epic journey to learn the meaning of the “Macy’s Thanksgiving Day” holiday. Additional talent is expected to be announced.
In addition to the above, Broadway performances will be underway, starting with an opening number from Lea Michele and the cast of Broadway’s Funny Girl. Other Broadway performances will include showstoppers A Beautiful Noise, Some Like It Hot, and in celebration of its 25th Anniversary Disney’s The Lion King. The iconic Radio City Rockettes will close out the event.
The Balloons
New giants joining the line-up this year include Bluey by BBC; Diary of A Wimpy Kid by Abrams Books; DINO and Baby DINO by Sinclair Oil; and Stuart the Minion from Illumination.
Kena Betancur / Stringer
Making return appearances to the skies above New York City are giant balloons of 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 by Funko and in partnership with Lucasfilm; Chase from PAW Patrol by Nickelodeon; Pillsbury Doughboy™ by Pillsbury™; Red Titan from “Ryan’s World” by Sunlight Entertainment and pocket.watch; Ronald McDonald® by McDonald’s® USA; Papa Smurf from The Smurfs™ by Nickelodeon; Pikachu™ & Eevee™ by The Pokémon Company International; and SpongeBob SquarePants & Gary by Nickelodeon.
Also part of the inflatables in 2021 are Sinclair’s Baby DINOs, the Go Bowling™ 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.
The Floats
The five new floats in 2022, alongside their scheduled performers, will be 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).
Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Macy’s Inc.
The returning float roster and its scheduled performers include 1-2-3 Sesame Street by Sesame Workshop™ (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(Adam Devine, Sarah Hyland and Flula Borg); Blue’s Clues & You! by Nickelodeon (Josh Dela Cruz); The Brick-changer by The LEGO Group (Fitz and the Tantrums); Celebration Gator by the Louisiana Office of Tourism (Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue); Christmas in Town Square by Lifetime (Kirk Franklin); Colossal Wave of Wonder by Kalahari Resorts and Conventions (Sean Paul); Deck the Halls by Balsam Hill (Gloria, Sasha and Emily Estefan); Elf Pets by The Lumistella Company; Everyone’s Favorite Bake Shop by Entenmann’s; Fantasy Chocolate Factory by Kinder (Big Time Rush); Harvest in the Valley by Green Giant (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); and Winter Wonderland in Central Park by Macy’s (Jimmy Fallon and The Roots.)
The Marching Bands & Performance Groups
The 2021 parade’s marching bands include 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).
The performance groups along the route are 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.
