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The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is marching back into town for another year of supersized floats, holiday cheer and star-studded performances.
The 99th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade returned Thursday, with thousands of fans lining the streets of New York City for the annual holiday event.
Continuing at its start time of 8:30 a.m. ET, 30 minutes earlier than in some previous years, the parade features fan-favorite balloons like the Pillsbury Doughboy and Bluey as well as new balloons like Buzz Lightyear from Pixar's "Toy Story" franchise, and Derpy Tiger from Netflix's "KPop Demon Hunters." NBC's "Today" show hosts Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker returned for parade coverage, despite Kotb bidding farewell to "Today" in early January.
Singer Ciara, one of the day's performers, told Roker that she's thankful for the "magical time" of year. She joined Cynthia Erivo, Shaggy, Huntr/X and more stars on the parade route.
See all the biggest moments from the parade, from the performances to the celebrity appearances:
Radio City Rockettes celebrate 100th anniversary, welcome Santa Claus
The Radio City Rockettes dance troupe celebrated its 100th anniversary with the high-kicking dancers' annual appearance at the parade, which will also turn 100 next year. The Rockettes to an instrumental version of "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)."
"Happy 100 years to them," Roker said, before country singer Lainey Wilson joined him, Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb to welcome Santa Claus.
"It's snowing on cue!" Roker said, as the Santa float finally arrived to welcome the Christmas season and mark an end to the parade. Kotb gave a shoutout to Mrs. Claus on the snowy float, who waved alongside the jolly big guy in the red suit.
Christmas cheer from country stars Lainey Wilson, Mickey Guyton, more
As Santa Claus gets closer to closing the parade, it's feeling like Christmas and duet season.
Country music stars Drew Baldridge and Mickey Guyton got together for a performance of their duet, "Joy to Your World," following an appearance from actress Nikki DeLoach, who's set to star in "A Grand Ole Opry Christmas." Colbie Caillat and Gavin DeGraw also joined forces to sing the Christmas classic "Let It Snow."
Lainey Wilson, in a red fur stole with fringed black gloves and a cowboy hat, ignited fireworks (literally) for her country tunes "Somewhere Over Laredo" and "Peace, Love, and Cowboys."
Is Santa Claus listening? Singer Lauren Spencer Smith suggested that he is as she performed her holiday song "Last First Christmas" on the Kinder float. Darlene Love, on the Balsam Hill float, packed a Christmas punch with her soulful "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)."
Taylor Momsen, Debbie Gibson bring upbeat cheer
Spotted at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: "Gossip Girl" star Taylor Momsen. The actress and singer returned to her Christmas roots for a rock rendition of "Where Are You Christmas?"
Momsen, who was 7 when her holiday classic film "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" debuted in 2000, put a punk spin on the song and her look, wearing a sparkling red mini dress paired with a leather jacket and smokey eyeshadow.
Singers Debbie Gibson and Meg Donnelly wore winter white for peppy versions of their songs. Gibson sang "Only in My Dreams," accompanied by a vibrant saxophone, while Donnelly sang and danced to her "Dancin' Around."
'KPop Demon Hunters' singers Huntr/X share 'Golden' performance
From one of the biggest movies of the year to one of the biggest stages in the world.
EJAE, Audrey Nuna & Rei Ami, the voices of Huntr/X from "KPop Demon Hunters," took to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade after an introduction from actor Ken Jeong for a powerful rendition of the song "Golden" from the hit Netflix animated movie. Confetti rained around the group, all dressed in black outfits, as they hit the final high note of the song.
Who is Mr. Fantasy? KJ Apa alter ego performs
You're not alone if you're wondering about the mysterious Mr. Fantasy who performed on the parade route.
The singer, an alter ego of "Riverdale" actor KJ Apa, hopped onto the pirate ship float for his song "Mr. Fantasy." The New Zealand actor looked unrecognizable with a green military-style jacket and plaid pants, complemented with green sunglasses and a black bob with bangs.
Lil Jon gets hype with 'Turn Down for What'
Toys "R" Us and… Lil Jon?
The rapper and Grammy-winning producer got the parade hype with the Toys "R" Us float (and the brand's giraffe mascot) with a high-energy performance. In a red, fur-lined jacket and sunglasses, the DJ rapped to his song "Turn Down For What?"
Busta Rhymes, Teyana Taylor represent New York at parade
Busta Rhymes and Teyana Taylor brought all the New York energy to the parade.
Joining the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles float, the trailblazing hip-hop star rocked an all-white puffer jacket ensemble as he rocked the mic. "Happy Thanksgiving, New York City! Hands in the air. Is you ready? 'Cause it's time," Busta Rhymes said in his trademark raspy voice. He rapped snippets from his hits "Jump," "Break Ya Neck" and "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See," as well as his verse on Chris Brown's "Look at Me Now."
Taylor, a Harlem native, was joined by her daughter Junie on the float as she performed her anthemic "Made It" in a cream loop-detail coat and balaclava.
Foreigner joins 'Stranger Things' Season 5 float
Just hours after part one of "Stranger Things" Season 5 debuted on Netflix, the show made its way to the parade with a new float, complete with caution tape, the Demogorgan and workers in lab suits. And on theme with the show's Upside Down, it was "Cold as Ice" as rock band Foreigner sang their hit song.
Lady Gaga at Macy's parade? Star gets dance tribute
Put your paws up! Though Lady Gaga herself wasn't at the parade, her spirit was strong. The Spirit of America dance troupe paid tribute to the pop star with a high-energy dance routine to a medley of her music, including "Abracadabra."
Conan Gray, Matteo Bocelli belt out songs
Conan Gray hit a high note with his performance. In a white feathered outfit with sparkles and sequins, Gray belted out his hit track "Vodka Cranberry" alongside a big band.
Joining along in the powerhouse vocals, Andrea Bocelli's son and singer Matteo Bocelli shared a commanding performance of his song "Caruso."
Kool & the Gang, on the Bronx Zoo float, proved the parade was a "Celebration," singing their upbeat track.
Jewel was a bright spot on the parade route, rocking an electric yellow coat as she softly sang "You Were Meant for Me."
Musical casts bring joy to parade from Broadway: 'Just in Time,' 'Buena Vista Social Club,' more
The cast of Tony Award-winning "Buena Vista Social Club" musical joined together for a lively performance of the show's song "Candela," with star Natalie Venetia Belcon taking the mic alongside the band and dancers.
The cast of "Ragtime," a revival of the original Broadway production and adapted from E.L. Doctorow's 1975 novel, sang an emotional version of "Wheels of a Dream."
Next up: "Just in Time" stars Jonathan Groff, Sarah Hyland and Sadie Dickerson, with an unexpected cameo from "Saturday Night Live" star Bowen Yang who was seated near the performance, starting with "Beyond the Sea" before going into a rousing medley of Bobby Darin hits complete with a big band.
Ciara gets 'Low,' Shaggy says 'It Wasn't Me,' Elmo brings 'Sesame Street' joy
Ciara was pink pop perfection with her performance of her new hit song "Low," off her new album "CiCi." On the Kalahari Resorts float, the singer and her two backup dancers donned baby pink ensembles, with Ciara's feathery sleeves moving as she danced to the beat.
Brazilian singer-songwriter Luísa Sonza joined the Dora the Explorer float for a vibrant performance of "Luísa Manequim" from her 2023 album "Escândalo Íntimo."
Elmo joined Guthrie and Kotb at the news desk before running over to the "Sesame Street" float with Broadway star Christopher Jackson for a joyous version of the show's theme song.
Country star Russell Dickerson, aboard the Jolly Green Giant float, performed his 2025 song "Happen to Me."
Shaggy performed a medley of all his biggest hits, including "Mr. Bombastic," "It Wasn't Me" and "Angel."
Labubu float makes debut
After the plush toys went viral all year, Labubus have now made their way to the Thanksgiving parade. The Pop Mart character Labubu was featured as 16-foot-tall fuzzy inflatable sculptures on the "Pop City" float Thursday, as the fuzzy gremlin-like characters waved to the crowd.
'Wicked' star Cynthia Erivo opens the show
Tony-winning "Wicked" star Cynthia Erivo opened this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with a soulful rendition of Nina Simone's "Feeling Good."
Erivo delivered the opening number, one week after the release of the highly anticipated musical sequel "Wicked: For Good," in a burgundy floor-length coat with matching turtleneck and hat.
"It's the most wonderful experience, the most wonderful feeling," Erivo told Guthrie and Kotb after her performance about "Wicked: For Good" and the release of her bestselling new memoir "Simply More."
Who will perform at the Thanksgiving Day Parade?
Here are all the celebrities scheduled to make float appearances during the parade's broadcast:
- Busta Rhymes
- Calum Scott
- Christopher Jackson
- Ciara
- Colbie Caillat
- Cynthia Erivo
- Darlene Love
- Debbie Gibson
- Drew Baldridge
- EJAE, Audrey Nuna & Rei Ami, the voices of Huntr/X from "KPop Demon Hunters"
- Foreigner
- Gavin DeGraw
- Jewel
- Kool & the Gang
- Lauren Spencer Smith
- Lil Jon
- Luísa Sonza
- Matteo Bocelli
- Meg Donnelly
- Mickey Guyton
- Mr. Fantasy
- Roman Mejia
- Russell Dickerson
- Shaggy
- Taylor Momsen
- Teyana Taylor
- Tiler Peck
How to stream Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
The event will be telecast on NBC starting at 8:30 a.m. in all time zones. It will also stream on Peacock. An encore on NBC will follow at 2 p.m. ET/PT. The parade will run 3.5 hours, from 8:30 a.m. to noon.
Contributing: Brendan Morrow, Natalie Alund, Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 2025 performances: Ciara, Huntr/X, more stars
Reporting by Anika Reed, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
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