The Pride of West Virginia Mountaineer Marching Band rehearses their routine for the 2024 MacyƵs Thanksgiving Day Parade, on Mountaineer Field, on Oct. 30, 2024.
The Pride of West Virginia Mountaineer Marching Band rehearses their routine for the 2024 MacyƵs Thanksgiving Day Parade, on Mountaineer Field, on Oct. 30, 2024.
David Ryan | ƵU Photo
Members of the Pride of West Virginia Mountaineer Marching Band rehearse together on the practice area by the ƵU Coliseum on Aug. 12, 2024.
The holiday season really kicks off when the massive helium balloons start floating through New York City.
The MacyƵs Thanksgiving Day parade this year will feature 17 giant character balloons, 22 floats, 15 novelty and heritage inflatables, 11 marching bands, 700 clowns, 10 performance groups and more stars than can fit around a table, according to the Ƶsociated Press.
The parade begins on ManhattanƵs Upper West Side and ends at MacyƵs Herald Square flagship store on 34th Street, which serves as a stage and backdrop for performances.
In addition to celebrities such as Grammy-, Oscar-, Emmy- and Tony-winner Jennifer Hudson and global pop icon and Grammy-winner Kylie Minogue, the event will feature marching bands from 10 states, including West Virginia.
The West Virginia University ƵPride of West Virginia,Ƶ the Mountaineer Marching Band, will appear in the 98th MacyƵs Thanksgiving Day Parade, which steps off at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 28.
The weather is expected to be favorable, with forecasts calling for temperatures in the upper-40s with clouds and winds around 10 mph as ƵThe PrideƵ will make its second parade appearance since 2016.
ƵLearning that we were going to MacyƵs was unreal,Ƶ Maddie Alix, a junior forensic science major and trumpet player from Fairmont, said in a news release. ƵI still really donƵt believe it.Ƶ
ƵUƵs marching band was selected from hundreds of band applications submitted from across the United States, an announcement that was made in fall 2023.
ƵThe last time I was in New York, I was five. I remember meeting Spiderman and that was about it. Going to be a part of the MacyƵs Thanksgiving Day Parade is something completely out of this world and something I never thought IƵd be able to do,Ƶ said Mikayla McNair, a sophomore psychology and biology major from Chesapeake, Virginia, in the release.
NBC will broadcast the parade and it will be simulcast on Peacock.
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