Thursday marks the 93rd Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which will maneuver through the streets of New York in front of hundreds of thousands. The parade will feature a who's who of performers from 9 a.m. to noon ET.
Here is a rundown of who is slated to perform this year:
- Billy Porter
- Black Eyed Peas
- Celine Dion
- Chicago
- Chris Janson
- Chris Young
- Ciara
- Debbie Gibson
- Dr. Janet L. Kavandi
- Idina Menzel
- Josh Dela Cruz
- Kay Hire
- Kelly Rowland
- Lea Michele
- Natasha Bedingfield
- NCT 127
- Nia Franklin
- Ozuna
- Tenille Townes
- That Girl Lay Lay
- TLC
Macy's said that 3.5 million people are expected to line the streets of New York, and 50 million viewers are expected to tune in on TV.
The parade will use 1,600 volunteers dressed as clowns to handle dozens of balloons through the often blustery streets of Manhattan. This year's parade will feature 16 giant character balloons; 40 novelty balloons, heritage balloons, balloonicles, balloonheads and trycaloons; 26 floats; 1,200 cheerleaders and dancers; more than 1,000 clowns; and 11 marching bands.
New balloons this year include an Astronaut Snoopy, Green Eggs and Ham, and SpongeBob SquarePants and Gary. These balloons are expected to be quite large. Macy's said that the Spongebob SquarePants and Gary balloon will be 44 feet tall, 46 feet long and 36 feet wide. The balloon requires 90 handlers.
Here is a look at the parade by the numbers:
- 2.5 miles: The length of the parade route
- 8,000+ participants: Macy’s colleagues and their friends & families, celebrities, recording artists, athletes, Broadway performers, marching bands, clowns, dancers, cheerleaders and other performance groups
- 16: Giant character helium balloons
- 62 feet: Height of tallest balloon
- 77 feet: Length of longest balloon
- 2,793 marchers: Number of marching band participants from 11 bands
- 1,000: Clowns
- 240: Gallons of paint
- 300: Pounds of glitter
Justin Boggs is a writer for the E.W. Scripps National Desk. Follow him on Twitter @jjboggs or on Facebook .
