This year marks the 97th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and with it comes several new additions and changes to the occasion.
Some of the parade's common practices will remain unchanged this year, such as its starting point at 77th Street and Central Park West in New York City, along with concluding the parade with an appearance from Santa Claus. However, some aspects of the parade are changing this year, such as the parade getting an earlier start.
"For nearly 100 years, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has been synonymous with the beginning of the holiday season, celebration and togetherness,” Will Coss, executive producer of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, said in a statement. “Our talented team of Macy’s Studios artisans and production specialists work year-round to deliver the nation’s most beloved holiday event, live on Thanksgiving morning."
The new start time
This year, the parade will get started at 8:30 a.m., meaning that typical viewers will need to wake up a bit earlier this year if they wish to watch the parade in its entirety. Previously, the parade began at 9 a.m.
The new attractions
Over 100 attractions will be featured at this year's parade, including balloons, floats, marching bands, clown crews, performance groups, and balloon-based vehicles.
New attractions this year include Po the panda from Dreamworks's Kung Fu Panda, Luffy from the anime One Piece, and a float showcasing the Deliciously Delectable World of Wonka.
The singers
The singer headlining this year's parade is Cher, who recently released a new Christmas album last week titled Christmas. The parade will also have appearances by several Broadway shows, including Back to the Future: The Musical, & Juliet, and How to Dance In Ohio.
The inclusion of Cher comes after the singer stated last month that she would leave the United States should former President Donald Trump become president again in 2024.
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Ahead of the parade, American Family Association's One Million Moms has warned that the parade will "potentially expose tens of millions of viewers at home to the liberal LGBTQ agenda." As a result, the group has released a petition, asking readers to sign it to declare that they will "not watch this indoctrination."
As of Wednesday morning, the petition has over 40,000 signatures.