“KPop Demon Hunter” balloons appear at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Large inflatable balloons depicting the characters Derpy Tiger and Susie were tested before the 99th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is once again marching through town with oversized floats, Christmas cheer and star-studded performances.
The 99th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade resumed Thursday, with thousands of fans lining the streets of New York City for the annual holiday event.
Following a start time of 8:30 a.m. ET, 30 minutes earlier than usual, the parade will feature fan-favorite balloons such as Pillsbury Doughboy and Bluey, as well as new balloons such as Buzz Lightyear from Pixar’s “Toy Story” series and Derpy Tiger from Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters.” NBC’s “Today” hosts Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker returned to cover the parade even though Kotb parted ways with “Today” in early January.
Singer Ciara, one of the performers that night, told Roker she was grateful for the “magical time” of the year. She will be lining the parade route along with other stars including Cynthia Erivo, Shaggy and Colbie Caillat.
Stay tuned for details on all performances and celebrity appearances.
As the Santa Claus parade draws to a close, the season of Christmas and Duet approaches.
Country music stars Drew Baldrige and Mickey Guyton came together to perform their duet “Joy to Your World” following an appearance by actress Nicki DeLoach, who will star in “Grand Ole Opry Christmas.” Cobie Caillat and Gavin DeGraw also joined forces to sing the Christmas classic “Let It Snow.”
Wearing a red fur stole, black fringed gloves and a cowboy hat, Laney Wilson set off fireworks (literally) to country tunes “Somewhere Over Laredo” and “Peace, Love and Cowboys.”
Is Santa Claus listening? Singer Lauren Spencer Smith hinted that she was, when she performed the holiday song “Last First Christmas” on a Kinder float. Darlene Love packed a Christmas punch with her soulful “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” aboard the Balsam Hill float.
Spotted at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade: ‘Gossip Girl’ star Taylor Momsen. The actress and singer went back to her Christmas roots with a rocking rendition of “Where’s Christmas?”
Momsen, who was seven years old when the 2000 Christmas classic “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” was released, gave the song and look a punk twist, pairing a sparkling red minidress with a leather jacket and smoky eyeshadow.
Singers Debbie Gibson and Meg Donnelly wore winter whites for a peppy version of the song. Gibson sang “Only in My Dreams” with a vibrant saxophone accompaniment, while Donnelly sang and danced to “Dancin’ Around.”
From one of the year’s biggest movies to one of the world’s biggest stages.
EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Lei Ami, who voice Hunter/X from “KPop Demon Hunters,” appeared at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade after an introduction from actor Ken Jeong and performed a powerful rendition of the song “Golden” from the hit Netflix animated film. As the song hit its final high note, confetti rained down around the group dressed in black.
If you’re wondering about the mysterious Mr. Fantasy who performed along the parade route, you’re not alone.
The singer, who is the alter ego of “Riverdale” actor K.J. Apa, hopped on a pirate ship float for his song “Mr. Fantasy.” The New Zealand actor looked unrecognizable in a green military-style jacket and plaid pants, complemented by green sunglasses and a black bob with bangs.
Toys R Us and…Lil Jon?
The rapper and Grammy Award-winning producer livened up the parade with an energetic performance from the Toys R Us float (and the brand’s mascot giraffe). Wearing a red fur-lined jacket and sunglasses, the DJ rapped along to his song “Turn Down For What?”
Busta Rhymes and Teyana Taylor brought some New York energy to the parade.
Joining the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles float, the pioneering hip-hop star rocked the microphone in an all-white down jacket ensemble. “Happy Thanksgiving, New York City! Hands up. Are you ready? It’s time,” Busta Rhymes said in his trademark raspy voice. He rapped excerpts from his hits “Jump,” “Break Ya Neck,” “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See,” and a verse from Chris Brown’s “Look at Me Now.”
Taylor, a Harlem native, performed her anthem “Made It” on a float with her daughter Junie, wearing a cream-colored loop-detail coat and balaclava.
Just hours after Part 1 of Stranger Things season 5 premiered on Netflix, the show headed to the parade with a new float complete with caution tape, a demogorgan, and workers in lab suits. And in keeping with the show’s Upside Down theme, rock band Foreigner performed their hit song “Cold as Ice.”
Please put your feet up! Although Lady Gaga herself wasn’t participating in the parade, her spirit was strong. Dance group Spirit of America paid tribute to the pop star with a high-energy dance set to a medley of her music, including “Abracadabra.”
Conan Gray received high praise for his acting. Dressed in a white feathered outfit with sparkles and sequins, Gray belted out his hit song “Vodka Cranberry” with a big band.
Andrea Bocelli’s son, singer Matteo Bocelli, also joined in with his powerful vocals, giving a great performance of his song “Caruso”.
Kool & the Gang on a float at the Bronx Zoo proved the parade was a “celebration” and sang upbeat tunes.
Jewel was a bright spot on the parade route, rocking an electric yellow coat as she sweetly sang “You Were Meant for Me.”
The cast of the Tony Award-winning musical “Buena Vista Social Club” gathered for a lively performance of the show’s song “Candela,” with star Natalie Venecia Belcon taking the microphone along with the band and dancers.
The cast of “Ragtime,” a revival of the original Broadway production based on EL Doctorow’s 1975 novel, sang an emotional version of “Wheels of a Dream.”
Next up is “Just in Time,” featuring Jonathan Groff, Sarah Hyland and Sadie Dickerson, and an unexpected cameo from “Saturday Night Live” star Bowen Yang, who was seated near the performance, starting with “Beyond the Sea,” before launching into a frenetic big band medley of Bobby Darin hits.
Ciara showed off her perfect pink pop during her performance of her new hit song “Low” from her new album “CiCi”. On the Kalahari Resort float, the singer and two backup dancers wore baby pink ensembles, and Ciara’s feathery sleeves moved as she danced to the beat.
Brazilian singer-songwriter Luisa Sonza joined Dora the Explorer’s float for a lively performance of “Luisa Manequim” from her 2023 album Escandalo Entimo.
After joining Guthrie and Kotb at the news desk, Elmo ran to the “Sesame Street” float with Broadway star Christopher Jackson and performed a fun version of the show’s theme song.
Country star Russell Dickerson performed his 2025 song “Happen to Me” on a Jolly Green Giant float.
Shaggy performed a medley of all of his biggest hits, including “Mr. Bombastic,” “It Wasn’t Me,” and “Angel.”
After the stuffed animal became a hot topic all year long, the Love Bus made its appearance in the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Pop Mart’s character Labubu appeared Thursday as a fluffy 16-foot-tall inflatable sculpture on the “Pop City” float, with the gremlin-like fluffy character waving to the crowd.
‘Wicked’ star Cynthia Erivo opens the show
Tony Award-winning “Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo opened this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with a soulful rendition of Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good.”
A week after the release of the long-awaited musical sequel “Wicked: For Good,” Erivo performed the opening number in a burgundy floor-length coat with a matching turtleneck and hat.
“This is the most amazing experience and the most amazing feeling,” Erivo told Guthrie and Kotb after the performance about the release of “Wicked: For Good” and his bestselling new memoir, “Simply More.”
Who will perform in the Thanksgiving Day Parade?
Here are all the celebrities scheduled to appear on floats during the parade broadcast:
- busta rhymes
- callum scott
- christopher jackson
- Ciara
- Colbie Caillat
- Cynthia Erivo
- darlene love
- Debbie Gibson
- Drew Baldrige
- EJAE, Audrey Nuna, Lei Ami, “Kpop Demon Hunters” Huntr/X voice
- foreigner
- gavin degraw
- jewelry
- Kool & the Gang
- lauren spencer smith
- Lil Jon
- Luisa Sonza
- Matteo Bocelli
- meg donnelly
- Mickey Guyton
- mr fantasy
- roman mejia
- russell dickerson
- shaggy
- taylor momsen
- Teyana Taylor
- tyler peck
How to stream the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade
The event will be televised on NBC starting at 8:30 a.m. in all time zones. It will also be distributed on Peacock. An encore on NBC follows at 2pm ET/PT. The parade will last three and a half hours from 8:30 a.m. to noon.
Contributed by: Brendan Morrow, Natalie Alund, Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY
