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Get ready for the Big Heads, marching bands and jolly ole Saint Nick himself.
Detroit’s parade tradition continues on Nov. 23, with the 97th annual America’s Thanksgiving Parade on Thursday. The event brings together community members to mark the holiday with a celebration in downtown Detroit. Here’s what you need to know ahead of this year’s parade.
Parade route
The parade runs three miles down Woodward Avenue from Kirby Street to Congress Street. Beginning at 8:45 a.m. on Thursday, the parade will run for about an hour and a half. The parade will feature three new floats this year, from Corewell Health, the Skillman Foundation, and Barton Malow. Organizers look to continuously expand the parade, with an additional seven floats in 2024.
“It’s a whole culmination of many things that come together for the parade, but most importantly it’s these floats,” said Tony Michaels, CEO of the Parade Company, a non-profit organization that runs the parade.
More: Detroit grade schooler’s float wins The Parade Company grand prize
Parking
Attendees can park in paid structures and lots along the route. Organizers will announce road closures and additional parking details as the event draws closer.
Sponsors
Hosted by the Parade Company, the event also features key sponsors. The parade will be presented by Gardner White this year and until 2031. Additional sponsors include Ford. Around 1,500 volunteers also contributed to the parade’s preparation.
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Marching bands
Several marching bands from high schools across metro Detroit will play in the parade:
- Adams High School (Rochester)
- Allen Park High School
- Chippewa Valley High School (Clinton Township)
- Dakota High School (Macomb Township)
- Detroit Public Schools Community District All City Marching Band
- Fraser High School
- Gibraltar-Carlson High School
- Romulus High School
- St. John’s High School (Saint Johns)
- Warren Mott High School
- Woodhaven High School
Big Heads
A long-standing parade staple, the Big Head Corps features large papier-mache heads in the parade. The heads represent different human, cartoon, and animal figures, including some marking local celebrities like Aretha Franklin. This year’s parade will feature a new addition with a Big Head of Pistons point guard Isaiah Thomas.
Drawn from the Italian carnival tradition, parade marchers pay $250 to wear the Big Heads in the Thanksgiving parade. Big Heads Corps, in its 16th year, continues to promote events and activities across metro Detroit to support its mission.
Weather
Detroit is set for clear, cool conditions Thursday, according to the National Weather Service in White Lake, providing a dry setting for the parade. Attendees should prepare to bundle up, as Detroit expects a high in the upper 40s on Thursday.
Clown corps
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the parade’s clown corps, community members who pay $1,000 to march in the parade as clowns and pass out beads to children. Participants start the morning at the YMCA for breakfast before dressing in their clown costumes and getting their makeup done.
Grand marshal
The grand marshals for this year’s parade will be former Detroit Lions offensive tackle Lomas Brown and broadcast journalist Huel Perkins.
“We look at people both nationally and locally — we always like to have a local touch. This year we’re all local — people who have had amazing careers but also are involved in helping others and being a part of the community,” Michaels said.
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