The 100th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will commence in 2026, and the UConn Marching Band finally got their invitation.
The “Pride of Connecticut Marching Band” will be attending the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for the first time next year. They were one of 10 bands selected, with more than one hundred bands applying to take part, according to NBC Connecticut.
The marching band received the news on the Today Show on Tuesday, Oct. 7, leading to a celebration from the band. The band is one of three college marching bands attending; the others being the University of Alabama and the University of Illinois marching bands.
Other bands attending include the NYPD Marching Band, Hawaii’s All-State Marching Band and multiple high school marching bands.
Sara Flores, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade associate producer, made the announcement in a formal statement.
“In 2026, for the first time in their nearly 130-year history, the Pride of Connecticut will join Macy’s for our 100th Thanksgiving Day Parade,” Flores said. “We can’t wait for audiences to experience the unique arrangement and creative programming the Huskies will bring to the streets of Manhattan next November!”
UConn Marching Band will be receiving a $10,000 grant along with the invitation from Macy’s to help start fundraising the journey to New York City. This money will go towards travel as well as other amenities the band will need for the big day.
Malcom Jones, the Pride of Connecticut’s band director, expressed eagerness in regard to the parade.
“The University of Connecticut Marching Band (UCMB) is very excited to be a part of the 100th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2026,” Jones said. “It is also the 130th year of the UCMB which is extra special to celebrate these two milestones together makes this opportunity even more special to our university, our dedicated student band members and the many thousands of proud UCMB alumni around the globe.”
The prestigious parade has hosted hundreds of bands over its near-century history and now the Pride of Connecticut will join the list.
The event will be held on November 26, 2026, starting at 8:30 a.m.
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