Sebastián Yatra to Make Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade This Year with Special Appearance

Sebastián Yatra will be spending Thanksgiving in the Big Apple.

The 30-year-old Colombian singer will perform at this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for the first time in his career.

Sebastián YatraHe’ll host a special performance with a holiday choir comprised of Macy’s colleagues with members from Big Brothers Big Sisters on the Winter Wonderland in Central Park float.

His first involvement with Macy’s was during the 2020 parade, when he was originally meant to perform on The LEGO Group’s Brick-Changer float. But due to concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, he had to drop out and his spot was given to the Goo Goo Dolls.

But Yatra isn’t the only Latino/a artist set to be part of this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Natti Natasha and Liza Colón-Zayas will also make appearances during the parade.

Hosted again by Today‘s Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker, the 98th Macy’s Parade lineup is being billed as the largest yet.

NBC‘Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is set to air live on Thursday, November 28 from 8:30 am until 12:00 pm ET/PT. It will also simulstream on Peacock and have an encore on NBC at 2 pm ET/PT.

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade broadcast is produced by Silent House Productions.

Here’s a look at the artists/talents set to participate:

Stars
This year’s Macy’s Parade will feature Bishop Briggs, Kylie Cantrall, Chlöe, Dan + Shay, Dasha, Jimmy Fallon & The Roots, Coco Jones, Walker Hayes, Ariana Madix, Joey McIntyre, Idina Menzel, Natti Natasha, T-Pain, Rachel Platten, Lea Salonga, The Temptations, The War and Treaty, Alex Warren and Sebastián Yatra. Dance sensation Charli D’Amelio and ballet dancers Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia will perform. Jonathan Bennett, Liza Colón-Zayas, Tom Kenny, Ginna Claire Mason and members of WNBA Champions, New York Liberty with Ellie the Elephant will also make special appearances. This year’s official national broadcast will include performances from Broadway’s Death Becomes Her, Hell’s Kitchen and The Outsiders as well as the Radio City Rockettes.

High-Flying Inflatables
This year, six new featured character balloons will debut, including Disney’s Minnie Mouse by The Walt Disney Company; Extraordinary Noorah & The Elf on the Shelf by The Lumistella Company; Gabby by DreamWorks Animation; Goku by Dragon Ball/Toei Animation; Marshall by Nickelodeon and Spin Master; and Spider-Man by Marvel.

Floats
This year six new floats will debut in the Macy’s Parade including Candy Cosmos by Haribo; Dora’s Fantastical Rainforest by Nickelodeon & Paramount; Magic Meets the Seas by Disney Cruise Line; Pasta Knight by Rao’s Homemade; Masterfeast by Netflix; and Wondrous World of Wildlife by Bronx Zoo. New specialty units for the 2024 Macy’s Parade include Strikes Again by Go Bowling!™; The Garriage by Nickelodeon, a whimsical carriage modeled after SpongeBob’s pet snail; and The Grannies Car from BBC Studios’ Bluey. Towed by Ram Trucks, the official truck of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the debuting floats will join a lineup of fan favorites including Santa’s Sleigh. Universal’s Merry Moment by Universal Orlando Resort, complete with stilt walkers, drums and dancers will also delight crowds.   

Featured Performances
Featured marching bands include University of Massachusetts Minuteman Marching Band (Amherst, MA), Avon Marching Black & Gold (Avon, IN), East Tennessee State University Marching Buccaneers (Johnson City, TN), Flower Mound High School Marching Band (Flower Mound, TX), The Lake Hamilton High School Marching Band (Hot Springs, AR), Sioux Falls Lincoln High School “Patriot” Marching Band (Sioux Falls, SD), The Majestic Marching Cardinals of Jonesboro High School (Morrow, GA), Macy’s Great American Marching Band (United States), The Carolina Band of the University of South Carolina (Columbia, SC) and (Morgantown, WV). NYPD Marching Band (New York, NY) will also join the festivities.

Closing out the entertainment lineup are performance groups including Circus Vazquez; Riverdance (North American Tour and Academy), AUM Dance Creations (Bridgewater, NJ), Black Haus Creative (New York, NY), BOSS Kids (New York, NY), Indigenous Enterprise (Phoenix, AZ), Kilgore College Rangerettes (Kilgore, TX), MOVE NYC (New York, NY) and 700 talented dancers and cheerleaders of Spirit of America Dance and Spirit of America Cheer.

Tommy Castro Wins Three Major Prizes at Blues Music Awards

Tommy Castro proved to be the big winner at the Blues Music Awards

The 67-year-old Latino American blues, R&B and rock guitarist and singer swept three major awards at the 43rd Blues Music Awards, which were held at the Renasant Convention Center in downtown Memphis on Thursday, May 5.

Tommy Castro,Castro won the B.B. King entertainer of the year award, album of the year for Tommy Castro Presents a Bluesman Came to Town and, with his band, the Painkillers, band of the year. The album reached No. 2 on Billboard‘s Blues Albums chart.

This is the third time Castro has won entertainer of the year, an award he previously won in 2008 and 2010.

This year marked the first time the awards have been presented in person since 2019. The show was held virtually the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here’s the full list of winners for the 2022 Blues Music Awards. 

B.B. King Entertainer of the Year: Tommy Castro
Album of the Year: Tommy Castro Presents a Bluesman Came to Town, Tommy Castro
Band of the Year: Tommy Castro & The Painkillers
Song of the Year: “I’d Climb Mountains,” written & performed by Selwyn Birchwood
Best Emerging Artist Album: Live on Beale Street: A Tribute to Bobby “Blue” Bland, Rodd Bland and the Members Only Band
Acoustic Blues Album: Dear America, Eric Bibb
Blues Rock Album: Resurrection, Mike Zito
Contemporary Blues Album662, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
Soul Blues Album: Long As I Got My Guitar, Zac Harmon
Traditional Blues Album: Pinky’s Blues, Sue Foley
Acoustic Blues Artis: Keb’ Mo’
Blues Rock Artist: Albert Castiglia
Contemporary Blues Female Artist: Vanessa Collier
Contemporary Blues Male Artist: Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
Soul Blues Female Artist: Annika Chambers
Soul Blues Male Artist: Curtis Salgado
Traditional Blues Female Artist (Koko Taylor Award): Sue Foley
Traditional Blues Male Artist: Taj Mahal
Instrumentalist – Bass: Danielle Nicole
Instrumentalist – Drums: Tom Hambridge
Instrumentalist – Guitar: Eric Gales