Good news: Thanksgiving is getting a lot more Wicked this year.
How to Watch
Watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday, November 27 at 8:30 a.m. on NBC and Peacock.
Viewers tuning in to NBC to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade have one more reason to get excited: Wicked: For Good’s Cynthia Erivo is set to kick off the broadcast with a performance described by those behind the event as a show-stopping opening number.
It’s not every year that a Tony, Emmy, and Grammy Award winner leads off the parade with a musical number, but that’s what’s in store for viewers — just six days after the nationwide release of Wicked: For Good on Friday, November 21, 2025.
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This year’s holiday event marks the 99th edition of the iconic parade, and the addition of Erivo to the festivities will make the morning even more memorable.
How can I watch Cynthia Erivo at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade?
The parade kicks off on Thursday, November 27 on NBC and Peacock, starting at 8:30 a.m. in all time zones, and Erivo will appear at the very start. An encore telecast will air at 2 p.m. ET/PT.
Who else is performing at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade?
In addition to Erivo, fans can look forward to previously-announced performers like 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.
Additional performances include EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and REI AMI, the singing voices of HUNTR/X from KPop Demon Hunters; numbers from Broadway’s Buena Vista Social Club, Just in Time, and Ragtime; and an appearance by the Radio City Rockettes, who are celebrating their 100th anniversary.
There will also be appearances by Nikki DeLoach, U.S. Olympian Ilia Malinin, Kristoffer Polaha, U.S Paralympian Jack Wallace, and special correspondent Sean Evans.
Talk about an all-star Thanksgiving lineup.
The 2025 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will be hosted by TODAY’s Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, and Al Roker — that’s right, Kotb will reunite with her former colleagues for one of the biggest days on the calendar.
The parade will feature more than 5,000 volunteers, 34 balloons, 4 ballonicles, 28 floats, 14 specialty units, 33 clown groups, 11 marching bands, and the main event: Santa.
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An hourlong primetime special hosted by Happy’s Place star Melissa Peterman, Countdown to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, will air the night before Thanksgiving on Wednesday, November 26, at 8 p.m. on NBC and Peacock.
The special will give viewers an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at what will take place the next morning on the iconic streets of New York City.
