The 56th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
The 56th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was held on November 25, 1982 in New York City, and shown to viewers live on NBC that same day from 9 a.m. to noon EST. It was hosted by Bryant Gumbel and Sarah Purcell . The lineup featured nine giant character balloons, 18 floats, 12 bands, and more than 5,000 participants.
Parade Lineup [ ] Listed below are the Parade elements that appeared in the 1982 line of march. Each element is listed in their respective categories/sub-categories, with sponsors in bold.
Bold indicates a new Parade element, strikethrough indicates an element that was removed from the lineup and an * indicates a Parade element that was retired following the 1982 procession.
Balloons [ ] Floats [ ] Specialty Units [ ] Push Floats [ ] Marching Bands [ ] Centerville High School Marching Band and Coed Drill Team (Centerville, OH), performed "Take the "A" Train"New Castle Chrysler High Trojan Marching Band (New Castle, IN)Beaverton High School Marching Band (Beaverton, OR)Kickapoo High School Golden Arrow Marching Band (Springfield, MO)McDonald's All-American High School Band (Nationwide), performed "Eye of the Tiger" and "Chariots of Fire"Wilkes Central High School Eagle Band (Wilkesboro, NC)Clinton High School Dragon Band (Clinton, TN)Fort Walton Beach High School Viking Band (Fort Walton Beach, FL)Hanover Senior High School Marching Band (Hanover, PA)Morris Brown College Marching Wolverines (Atlanta, GA)United States Military Academy Band (West Point, NY), performed "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"Wauwatosa East High School Red Raider Marching Band (Wauwatosa, WI)Guest Stars [ ] Parade Official Jean McFaddin Keith Carradine , sang "Sweet Talker" (Turkey) The Cast of Sesame Street , sang "Keep Christmas With You" (Sesame Street) Oak Ridge Boys , sang "Santa's Song" (Stetson is America) Deniece Williams , sang "I Believe in Miracles" (Rocking Lion) Jim Henson and Muppets Statler, Waldorf, and Gonzo (Antique Car) Shelley Bruce , sang "A Wonderful Day Like Today" (Doodlebug) The National Dance Institute , performed "A Nightmare Ballet" (Heidi's Song) Benji (Antique Car) Show of Hands , performed "Get Happy/My Country 'Tis of Thee" (Showboat) Strawberry Shortcake and Friends , sang "Kid's Best Friend" (Strawberry Shortcake) Paul Williams , sang "You and Me Against the World" (Rocking Lobster) Andy Gibb and the Cast of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat , sang "Any Dream Can Do" (Pirate Ship) Sammy Davis, Jr. , sang "The Candy Man" (The Big Apple) Wayland Flowers and Madame (Excalibur Car) Nickelodeon Puppets and Jake , sang "It's Your Day" (Circus Wagon) Milton Berle and Ricky Schroder , sang "Someday My Prince Will Come" (Cinderella) The New York City Opera , sang "Papageno-Papagena Duet" from The Magic Flute (Magic Carousel) Tina Yothers , Herb Vigran , and The Shirt Tales , performed "What Does It Mean to Be So Small?" (Shirt Tales) Laura Branigan , sang "Gloria" (Rocking Horse) The Joffrey Ballet , performed "Ice Skating Party" (The Old Country) United States Coast Guard Academy Chorale , sang "Sleigh Ride" (Frozen Woodland) Dean Butler , sang "I'm Giving Thanks" (Macy's REO Delivery Truck) Santa Claus (Santa's Sleigh) Peter Nero , conducted the Grand Band FinaleSpecial Characters [ ] Performance Groups [ ] Pre-Parade Acts [ ] Clowns [ ] Clown Props [ ] Several dozen non-themed clown units also made an appearance in the 1982 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Trivia [ ] 1982 marked the return of Bryant Gumbel as Parade's commentator, after last hosting in 1980. He was joined by an all-new co-host, Sarah Purcell . 
