Thanks to Cher, Brandy, the marching bands, and floats — the 2023 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade rang in the holiday season with record viewership.
Thursday’s 97th annual parade was watched by a total audience of 28.5 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, and scored a 7.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic, according to Nielsen figures. Both measures were up 6 percent from 2022.
The parade was also the most-watched entertainment program of 2023 across all of broadcast and cable, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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The holiday staple kicked off on Manhattan’s Upper West Side at 8:30 a.m. and was followed by a rebroadcast on NBC stations.
The NYPD’s motorcycle unit escorted the first group of performers — Alabama A&M University’s Marching Maroon and White Band accompanied by the school’s Dancing Divas. They were the first ever HBCU band to lead the parade.
Superstar singers Brandy and Cher both performed music from their new Christmas albums.
En Vogue belted out their 1992 dance hit “Free Your Mind.”
Bell Biv DeVoe performed their platinum-selling 1990 single “Poison” — and toned down the risqué lyrics for the parade’s family audience.
Other performers included Jon Batiste, Chicago, Bel-Air star Jabari Banks, and David Foster with wife Katharine McPhee.
Riding floats were U.S. Olympic Silver Medalist Jordan Chiles; U.S. Paralympian Ezra Frech; U.S. Paralympic Gold Medalist Jessica Long; Miss America 2023 Grace Stanke; and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
“We’re absolutely thrilled that a record number of people were able to enjoy the parade with their families and friends, and spend the day with us,” Jen Neal, executive vice president of Live Events and Specials at NBCUniversal Media Group, said in a statement. “A big thank you to Macy’s for being such great partners on this iconic event.”
Macy’s and NBC previously said this year’s parade would include 16 featured character balloons, 26 floats, 32 heritage and novelty balloons, more than 700 clowns, 12 marching bands and 9 performance groups. It took more than 5,000 volunteers to bring everything together.
