Each Thanksgiving, Macy’s hosts a parade filled with marching bands, celebrity performances and large decorative balloons. This year marked the 96 anniversary for the celebration, the first Macy’s parade being Thanksgiving of 1924. In the midst of a pandemic, the parade was strictly televised using pre-recorded performances and hosted by Hoda Kotb.
While watching the performances from the various groups, it was evident that each performance was filmed individually over a span of a couple days. Some groups performed with light rain while the next had sunny, clear skies. The planning committee for the parade obviously had to plan to accommodate a variety of different schedules in order to record the different performances while maintaining safety standards during the pandemic.
Much like previous years, the parade showcased performances from a variety of different groups including, but not limited to, marching bands, musicals and floats. One thing that really stuck out this year in comparison to other years was the context given surrounding the performances. Normally, the host would make comments on the groups as they walk the parade without giving context to who was performing and what background came with that group.
The lineup included marching performances from the Emerald Society Pipes and Drums, the New York Police Department marching band, the Lesbian and Gay Big Apple Corps and more. Each performance brought a variety of sounds and presentation of activities.
Musical performances from Hamilton and Mean Girls were highlights for the parade, and there were two other musical performances from Ain’t too Proud and Jagged Little Pill. The cast of Hamilton on Broadway sang the Schuyler Sisters at the beginning of the parade. It was a great opening piece to perform, because the Macy’s parade is held near the Macy’s outside of Central Park in New York City, N.Y.
Visitors were allowed to watch the parade in person during the flying of floats, balloons and performances with social-distancing and masks. Watching the lack of a crowd was definitely upsetting when comparing the audience to previous years, but also refreshing to see people taking the pandemic seriously.
Overall, the Macy’s parade felt like the closest thing to normal we have seen without breaking COVID-19 guidelines. There were less performances than previous years and the crowd was definitely underwhelming, but all of the aspects of the floats, celebrity appearances and performances were spot-on. I am hopeful that next year there will be the chance to have a full-length parade with a large, welcoming audience.