HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — It's hard to think of Thanksgiving and not think of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
We'll see Santa travel the streets of New York City, maybe Snoopy too, but if you watch the parade - you'll also spot one local university's band leading it.
The Alabama A&M Marching Maroon and White will make history as the first HBCU band to lead the festivities in the Big Apple.
The parade is one of the world's biggest stages for high school and collegiate bands across the country to march to the beat of their own drums. Alabama A&M band director Carlton Wright says it's a dream two years in the making to perform in the parade.
"It was in 2021 I was sitting down watching the parade, I had two friends who had bands in the parade at the time," Wright said. "Just to see those two bands march down the street and perform on the Macy's star, that really woke up something in me to actually start applying for the parade myself."
Now, they are in the city that never sleeps prepping for Thursday, and for the students performing - it means the world.
"It means a lot to be an HBCU band and to lead Macy's Thanksgiving day parade, that's a great experience," AAMU freshman Ausjah Willis said.
"It was kind of mind-blowing to me, you know, we're going to lead one of the biggest parades around," said AAMU junior Matthew Price.
Now the biggest question... what song will the Marching Maroon & White be playing in NYC?
"We only have 75 seconds to do the entire show, from the beginning of the starting line to the end," Wright said. "It's one song, it's kind of like a hip-hop Christmas theme."
"It's going to be great... I'm excited. You know, I'm going to get my boots together you know, prepare for the cold weather," said AAMU sophomore Noah Sherman.
You can watch the Marching Maroon & White kick off the celebration in New York on Thursday at 7:30 a.m.
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