BWW Blog: The Best Macy's Thanksgiving Day Performances

As I and other college students around the country are gearing up to go home for the holidays, I can't help but begin to get excited about the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Am I normally excited for the parade? Not necessarily. I watch it every year, but the excitement usually comes the morning-of. This year is different, however, because we only recently learned that it was still going to happen. COVID has obviously canceled many events in the last year, so we couldn't be sure if this major event would happen. Nevertheless, Macy's found a way to safely produce their annual parade - to be aired live and without an audience.

With the parade, of course, we get our fill of Broadway performances. The shows announced for this year include "Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations," "Hamilton," "Jagged Little Pill," and "Mean Girls." In the last few weeks, these casts have reunited to tape their numbers, which will premiere periodically throughout the live parade. As we await their performances next week, I thought it'd be a great time to breakdown my favorite musical performances from the last ten years of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Disclaimer: these may not all be your favorites. I like some oldies, so be kind.

2009 - HAIR "Aquarius" - Those vocals. Also, notice future "Elsa" Caissie Levy as Sheila.

2010 - ELF - No, not the best performance ever, but this wasn't the best year. And, sue me; I'm in a Christmas mood.

2011 - NEWSIES "King of New York" - This show may not be my favorite ever, but this dance number has already become iconic.

2012 - CINDERELLA "Medley" - The costumes. The music. The Josh Rhodes waltz choreography. The Laura Osnes. Do I need to say anything more? This medley perfectly captures the beauty of this show.

2013 - KINKY BOOTS "Raise You Up / Just Be" - One of my favorites on this list. The costumes in this show are so unique, and this number is just so happy.

2014 - A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER "I've Decided to Marry You" - This song and staging is absolutely genius in its simplicity, and with the right performers (which it has) this performance kills.

2015 - ON YOUR FEET "Medley" - This year was tough to choose a favorite from, but it needs to be this performance for me. If not for the fun, upbeat music, then for the fact that the cast began the performance a block away from Macy's (during which time other performing groups joined in.)

2016 - HOLIDAY INN "Medley" - Denis Jones' choreography is so reminiscent of that golden age holiday magic - I can't get over this number.

2017 - ANASTASIA "Once Upon a December" - The choreography and the costumes say it all. Though I don't know the musical well, I'm a huge fan of the original 97' animated movie, and I loved this performance.

2018 - MEAN GIRLS "Fearless" - For movie-to-musical adaptions, this is one of my favorites. This number is so fun, and Ashley Park's dance break kills it every time (of course, followed by a ribbon twirling Kate Rockwell.)

2019 - HADESTOWN "Livin' it Up on Top" - Duh. Not only is this performance perfect, but the cast was riding high after their "Best Musical" win earlier that year.

2020 My Guess: HAMILTON

No, this show isn't new, but the choreography is fantastic; I can't wait to see what they do this year.

So, there's my exhaustive list. Whether you agreed with my picks or not, I'm sure we both have one thing in common - we'll be sitting front and center for when our Broadway idols take the Macy's stage next Thursday.