What to Expect at Philly’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Dionne Warwick, Carli Lloyd, and more headline what's billed as the oldest Thanksgiving parade in the nation.

2009 Thanksgiving Day parade in Philadelphia. Photo | AP/Matt Rourke

2009 Thanksgiving Day parade in Philadelphia. Photo | AP/Matt Rourke

Philadelphians will be able to walk on by at tomorrow’s 6ABC Thanksgiving Day Parade, as Grammy winner Dionne Warwick and a host of other celebrities headline the 96th annual festivities on the Parkway, billed as the oldest Thanksgiving parade in the nation.

Olympic Gold Medalist Carli Lloyd will serve as the parade’s Honorary Grand Marshal, and she will be joined by Good Morning America‘s Rob Marciano, Mary Murphy from So You Think You Can Dance?, Caleb Johnson from American Idol, Al B Sure, Lauren Hart, Tichina Arnold, and the one and only Jerry Blavat.

Carli Lloyd (Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com) and Dionne Warwick (Featureflash / Shutterstock.com)

Carli Lloyd (Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com) and Dionne Warwick (Featureflash / Shutterstock.com)

The parade will also feature performances from several upcoming Broadway Philadelphia productions, including the new national tour of The Sound of Music and the Tony Award-winning revival of Pippin. Plus, cast members from Walnut Street Theater’s Ticket-recommended production of A Christmas Story will be on hand to bring holiday joy (and maybe a leg lamp or two).

Children will be excited to catch a glimpse of Anna and Elsa from Disney on Ice, along with Mickey, Minnie, Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora, Belle, Tiana, and Rapunzel.

Don’t feel like braving the crowds? Local news celebrities Rick Williams, Cecily Tynan, Adam Joseph, Karen Rogers, and Alicia Vitarelli will guide viewers through the festivities, which can be watched live on 6ABC starting at 8:30 am Thanksgiving morning. Audience members are encouraged to use hashtag #6abcTDP while chatting about the parade on social media. Happy parade watching!

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