Top five performances to look forward to during this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Katherine Jaruzelski | Cadenza Writer

When you’re looking for a distraction from the craziness of the kitchen on Thursday morning, it might be time to heat up some apple cider, flip on the TV and hearken back to your childhood with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Here are some of the top performers to watch for this year:

Cindy Barrymore | Abaca Press | MCT
1. Carly Rae Jepsen

It’s no surprise that America’s Canadian sweetheart is leading the pack of parade performers this year. Expect to see her lip-syncing (it’s okay, everyone does it!) to “Call Me Maybe” on a cutesy float surrounded by children and puppies or something.

Arkasha Stevenson | Los Angeles Times | MCT
2. Jimmy Fallon and the Roots

Jimmy Fallon is already a parade veteran; he sang Christmas songs with the Roots in the 2009 and 2010 parades. Here’s hoping they perform something funnier this year, like one of Fallon’s many musical impressions (Tim Tebowie, anyone?).

Courtesy of Bring It On via Facebook
3. Broadway!

Because we couldn’t choose just one! Three new Broadway musicals—“Cinderella,” “Annie” and “Bring It On”—will be putting in appearances at this year’s parade. So whether you want to see some old-school Disney, classic Broadway or just a bunch of dancing cheerleaders, Macy’s has got you covered.

Brian Peterson | Minneapolis Star Tribune | MCT
4. The Fierce Five

Although the Fierce Five gymnasts technically won’t be performing at the parade (can you imagine doing those routines on a moving float?), we’re still excited to see these Olympic champions roll down 6th Avenue on Thursday. Maybe the whole spectacle will be enough to turn McKayla Maroney’s unimpressed frown upside down.

Gary W. Green | Orlando Sentinel | MCT
5. Flo Rida

Admit it: there’s something really funny about the idea of Flo Rida performing a song like “Whistle” while surrounded by cartoon character-shaped balloons. Flo Rida has also been known to perform shirtless, so hopefully someone has clued him in on what New York City weather is like in November.

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