Busta Rhymes and Lil Jon Will Bring Hip-Hop to Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

This year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is getting a boost from an array of hip-hop and R&B artists. The annual event scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 27, will feature appearances from Busta Rhymes, Lil Jon, Teyana Taylor, Ciara, Kool & the Gang, and more.

Busta Rhymes will appear on the World of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Chocolate Factory float from Nickelodeon and Paramount. The float is decorated with graffiti and giant pizza slices, bringing the classic characters from the sewers to the streets of New York with help from the Brooklyn rapper.

Lil Jon will join Toys R Us for Geoffrey’s Dazzling Dance Party. The float, which features a guitar-playing dinosaur, will mark the rapper’s first appearance at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Teyana Taylor will also make her debut at the event. The actress and musician will appear on Peacock’s Birds of a Feather Stream Together float. While making its way through the parade, the float will also livestream the parade route.

Ciara is a returning performer at this year’s parade. Her set on the Colossal Wave of Wonder float by Kalahari Resorts and Conventions will mark her third appearance and her first since 2019, when she performed on the Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles float. Also making a return are Kool & the Gang, who notch their fourth appearance with the Wondrous World of Wildlife float by the Bronx Zoo. The R&B and soul legends last performed at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2003 on an Animal Planet float.

Shaggy will bring reggae to the parade with an appearance on Jennie-O’s Big Turkey Spectacular float, while Darlene Love brings more R&B with a set on Balsam Hill’s Deck the Halls float.

The 2025 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has scheduled 26 performers in total. Others include Calum Scott, Colbie Caillat, Debbie Gibson, Foreigner, Jewel, Lauren Spencer Smith, Matteo Bocelli, Meg Donnelly, Mickey Guyton, Taylor Momsen, and more.