PIERRE, SD – When you tune in to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade this year, there will be something missing.
For the first time in a dozen years, the South Dakota’s Mount Rushmore float will not be part of the parade lineup. Instead, the state will be represented by South Dakota State’s ‘Pride of the Dakotas’ Marching Band.
The parade will air live from New York City on NBC, Thursday, November 24, from 9:00 AM to noon.
The South Dakota Department of Tourism is providing a $50,000 marketing grant to help cover the band’s expenses for the trip to New York.
In a press release, Secretary of the South Dakota Department of Tourism, Jim Hagen, said, ‘This will be the first time in 12 years the Department of Tourism’s Mount Rushmore float will not be a part of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, but there will still be a great South Dakota presence with the Pride of the Dakotas Marching Band.
“Their performance in the parade will garner millions of viewers. It’s a wonderful marketing opportunity that once again allows South Dakota to be in the national spotlight on Thanksgiving Day.”
The Mount Rushmore float’s history with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade dates back to 2010, when Mannheim Steamroller became the first performers to ride on the float in the event.
Last year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was the highest-rated entertainment telecast of 2021, garnering more than 25 million viewers in addition to the 2.5 million viewers who lined the parade route.
MUSICAL ACTS ON MOUNT RUSHMORE FLOAT
2010 – Mannheim Steamroller
2011 – Neil Diamond
2012 – Don Mclean
2013 – The Summer Set
2014 – NEEDTOBREATHE
2015 – MercyMe
2016 – Ben Rector
2017 – Smokey Robinson
2018 – Kane Brown
2019 – Chris Young
2020 – Lauren Alaina
2021 – Chris Lane
