Big City Cheer! is a float from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which is sponsored by long-time Parade partner, Spirit of America Productions.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
The Big City Cheer! float made its Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade debut in 2015, replacing Spirit of America's previous float entry, known as Pep Rally. The float, based on an art-deco design style, features many members of the Spirit of America Cheer group spreading holiday cheer all the way down the Parade route. The recently-crowned Miss America also makes appearances on the float annually. The float is said to utilize new LED technology that looks like neon, but with more luminosity and at less than 3% of energy consumption.
In 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Spirit of America Dance Stars and cheerleader squad were removed from the line of march as a result of health and safety concerns, resulting in the Big City Cheer! float being temporarily retired after the 2019 Parade.
After a brief absence, the Big City Cheer! float returned in the 2021 Macy's Parade, and has since been a recurring element in the Parade.
Guest Stars[]
Listed below are the guest stars that have performed/appeared on the float, alongside the respective songs which they sang during the NBC Telecast.
- 2015 - Miss America 2016 Betty Cantrell, Trey Songz, sang "About You"
- 2016 - U.S. Olympians (Laurie Hernandez, Claressa Shields, and Michelle Carter) and U.S. Paralympians (Gianfranco Ianatta, Hannah McFadden, and Mikey Branigan)
- 2017 - Miss America 2018 Cara Mund
- 2018 - Mackenzie Ziegler & Johnny Orlando, sang "What If"
- 2019 - Miss America 2019 Nia Franklin
- 2021 - Miss America 2020 Camille Schrier
- 2022 - Miss America 2022 Emma Broyles