Westward Ho! is a wild west-themed float from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
The Westward Ho! Float made its first appearance in the 1996 Macy's Parade, as the Macy's Parade Studio took Parade goers back to the time of covered wagons, cowboys, and life on the range. The Float is a replica of a Conestoga wagon that’s as big as Texas, measuring 32 feet long and 25 feet high. The Float is pulled by the largest ox this side of the Mississippi (Recycled from the Reynolds Group Holdings float) and carried 40 frontier children.
After three appearances, the Float was temporarily retired following 1998. It would be brought back, however, for the 2001 Parade. The Westward Ho! Float made one more appearance in 2002, before being retired permanently from the line of march.
Although it has not been seen in over a decade, the Float has remained dormant inside of the Macy's Parade Warehouse as recently as 2019.
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.
- 1996 - Tucson Arizona Boys Choir, sang "Thanks God I'm A Country Boy"
- 1997 - Tim McGraw, sang "Where the Green Grass Grows"
- 1998 - Jo Dee Messina, sang "I'm Alright"
- 2001 - Chris Bauer and Skipp Sudduth
- 2002 - Cast Members from NBC's Good Morning Miami