Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Cast: Ariana Madix, T-Pain, “Gabby's Dollhouse”

NEW YORK (AP) — An eclectic group of stars — including reality TV stars Ariana Madix, Broadway goer Idina Menzel, hip-hop T-pain, Members of the WNBA champion New York Liberty and country duo Dan + Shay will be there this year Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Music performer The war and the treaty, Lea Salonga, Kylie Cantrall, The Temptations, Chlöe, Charli D'Amelio, Jimmy Fallon & The Roots, Coco Jones, Walker Hayes, Rachel Platten, Bishop Briggs, Joey McIntyre, Natti Natasha and ballet dancers Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia are also scheduled to appear. The Associated Press received the list early.

The holiday tradition begins at 8:30 a.m. on November 28 in all time zones and is introduced by an actor Alison Brie, The “Glow” star currently stars in Peacock's “Apples Never Fall.”

This year's parade features 17 giant character balloons, 22 floats, 15 novelty and historic inflatables, 11 marching bands, 700 clowns and 10 performance groups.

“The work we do, the opportunity to impact millions of people and bring joy for a few hours on Thanksgiving morning is what motivates us every day,” said Will Coss, executive producer of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade , in an interview.

The parade will air on NBC and stream on Peacock. Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb And Al Roker of “Today” will be hosted and a Spanish-language simulcast on Telemundo will be hosted by Carlos Adyan and Andrea Meza.

There will be six new character balloons including Minnie Mouse, Extraordinary Noorah with The Elf on the Shelf, Gabby's Dollhouse, Goku and Spider-Man.

The “Gabby's Dollhouse” float will feature a 17-meter-tall balloon with Gabby and Pandy paws in 10 different shades of pink.

“As a little girl growing up in New Jersey, the Thanksgiving parade was what you always saw, and of course the balloons were the best part,” says Traci Paige Johnson, who co-created “Gabby's Dollhouse” with Jennifer Twomey.

“The little 7-year-old girl in me just goes, 'Oh my God!' – something from your brain that you created for the whole world to see floating through New York City is just absolutely incredible.”

She and Twomey, who also produced “Blue’s Clues” are the rare creators who can look forward to a second balloon in the parade. This time, Johnson advises viewers to look for all the hidden cats in Gabby's sneakers and costume.

The Macy's Parade is a traditional start to the holiday season, and half a dozen spectators line up along the route to cheer on the floats, entertainers and marching bands. The parade recently asked icons to be the last guest before Santa Claus Last year, Cher did exactly the right thing. This year's headliner will be announced later.

Broadway will be represented by performances of “Death Becomes Her.” “Hell’s Kitchen” and “The Outsiders” as well as the legendary Radio City Rockettes and “Riverdance” dancers.

The new cars include those from brands such as Disney Cruise Line, Haribo, Netflix's Wednesday, Universal Orlando Resorts and The Grannies Car from BBC Studios' Bluey. Nickelodeon and Paramount's “Dora the Explorer” will have both a float and a balloon.

A new car will put that in the spotlight Rao's food brand, with a knight and a dragon in battle, made with real pasta elements.

“It's one of those opportunities to truly bring together the whimsy and artistry of our amazing artists and craftsmen in our studio and bring to the stage the iconic spectacle that is known and loved for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade,” Coss said.

The marching bands come from Massachusetts, Indiana, Tennessee, Texas, Arkansas, South Dakota, Georgia, South Carolina, West Virginia and New York.

Members of the New York Liberty, who won their first-ever WNBA championship earlier this month, will march alongside their popular mascot Ellie the Elephant.

If you can believe it, the Macy's Parade team is already working on sketches and ideas for the next parade, as each cycle lasts 18 months. Coss calls it “the greatest variety show on television.”

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Mark Kennedy is there