With the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade kicking off, organizers worked around the clock to put the final touches on the historic tradition. Looking at the 2025 lineup, the parade will include 34 balloons, 28 floats, 28 performers, 11 marching bands, and 22 clown crews. And that is just a sample of the countless people who dedicated months to the parade. But with the parade featuring stars like Cynthia Erivo, Lainey Wilson, and Foreigner, many fans wanted to know why some singers decided to lip-sync.
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Over the years, singers have been caught using a backing track during a concert. For fans who pay hundreds of dollars to see their favorite artist in person, the shock can be heartbreaking. But when it comes to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, there are numerous factors at play. Aside from being on a moving float, the singers often deal with freezing temperatures, rain, and even snow. Some years, they battled all three.
Knowing the importance of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the history surrounding the event, most singers tend to lip-sync, which fans agree with. But for some, they hated the idea of singers supposedly “faking” a performance.
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Kelly Clarkson Promises Her Performance Was “Live” At Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Back in 2018, John Legend, who performed at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in the past, tweeted, “Fun fact. We all have to lip sync on this parade because the floats don’t have the capacity to handle the sound requirements for a live performance. Hope y’all enjoyed it anyway.”
Although willing to lip-sync during the parade, Legend promised, “Know that if you come to my shows, the vocals are 100% live!”
While Legend shared the truth about the parade, Kelly Clarkson, who performed “Heat” that same year, insisted her performance was live. “Umm, I don’t know if y’all know this, but that was live! Brynn Cartelli, thank you — singing in this cold weather with me. It’s so cold in New York.”
Another factor playing into the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is the network. Wanting to put on the best show possible, the network is sure to have the final decision on who performs live. But no matter whether it is live or not, the parade continues to bring families together and mark the start of the holiday season.
Don’t miss the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, airing live at 8:30 a.m. ET/PT on NBC and available to stream on Peacock.
(Photo by: Peter Kramer/NBC via Getty Images)
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