NEW YORK — The 99th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will officially kick off the 2025 holiday season, airing live across all U.S. time zones on NBC and Peacock on Thursday, Nov. 27, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern.
Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker will host the nationally televised event, which will feature the annual lineup of giant character balloons, celebrity performances, marching bands and floats, along with the arrival of Santa Claus.
This year’s musical highlights include the daytime debut of the fictional K-pop group HUNTR/X, featured in the Netflix film “KPop Demon Hunters.” Additional performances are set from EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI, as well as Broadway productions of “Buena Vista Social Club,” “Just in Time” and “Ragtime.”
The full roster of musical artists and guests includes Drew Baldridge, Matteo Bocelli, Colbie Caillat, Ciara, Gavin DeGraw, Meg Donnelly, Mr. Fantasy, Foreigner, Debbie Gibson, Mickey Guyton, Christopher Jackson, Jewel, Lil Jon, Kool & the Gang, Darlene Love, Roman Mejia, Taylor Momsen, Tiler Peck, Busta Rhymes, Calum Scott, Shaggy, Lauren Spencer Smith, Luísa Sonza and Teyana Taylor. Cynthia Erivo will open the show with a special performance. Other appearances include Nikki DeLoach, Kristoffer Polaha, U.S. Olympian Ilia Malinin, U.S. Paralympian Jack Wallace and special correspondent Sean Evans.
The Radio City Rockettes will perform in honor of their centennial year, joined by groups such as Evidence Dance Company, Native Pride Productions, Circus Vazquez and A Chorus Line: The Next Generation, led by creative director and original cast member Baayork Lee. More than 1,200 dancers and cheerleaders from Spirit of America Dance and Spirit of America Cheer will also participate.
Marching bands from across the world will perform, including Banda de Musica La Primavera of Panama, Catawba Ridge High School Marching Band of South Carolina, Damien Spartan Regiment of California, L.D. Bell Blue Raider Band of Texas, Northern Arizona University Lumberjack Marching Band, Alcorn State University Sounds of Dyn-O-Mite of Mississippi, Spartans Jr Drum and Bugle Corps of New Hampshire, The Marching Pride of North Alabama, Temple University Diamond Band of Pennsylvania, the Macy’s Great American Marching Band, and the NYPD Marching Band.
The 2025 parade will feature 32 massive character balloons, 27 floats, three “ballonicles,” four specialty units, 33 clown crews and more than 5,000 volunteers. New balloon and float debuts include Buzz Lightyear (Pixar), Pac-Man (Bandai Namco), Shrek’s Onion Carriage (DreamWorks Animation), Mario (Nintendo), and KPop Demon Hunters characters Derpy Tiger and Sussie.
New floats for 2025 include The Land of Ice & Wonder (Holland America), Brick-tastic Winter Mountain (LEGO), Master Chocolatier Ballroom (Lindt), Upside Down Invasion: Stranger Things (Netflix), Friends-giving in Popcity (Pop Mart), and The Counting Sheep’s Dream Generator (Serta).
Returning elements include revamped legacy balloons from Macy’s archives—Rainbow and Greybow Trouts, Happy Hippo Triple Stack, Wigglefoot and Freida the Dachshund—as well as new collaborations, such as Goldfish crackers and the Elf on the Shelf Santaverse float.
Big Brothers Big Sisters matches will appear atop the Tom Turkey float, in recognition of Macy’s “Mission Every One” initiative, which has raised more than $13 million since its 2022 launch.
The parade will re-air at 2 p.m. ET/PT on NBC and stream in Spanish on Telemundo, hosted by Andrea Meza, Aleyda Ortiz and Clovis Nienow.
A primetime special, “Countdown to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade,” will air Nov. 26 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the event’s preparations.
The parade’s 100th edition is scheduled for 2026.