Cynthia Erivo Opens Thanksgiving Day Parade With Magical Performance...

Skip to main content Tomás Mier, Mankaprr Conteh November 27, 2025 Cynthia Erivo walking in Herald Square on November 27, 2025 in New York City. Photo by The Hapa Blonde/GC Images Cynthia Erivo brought a touch of Oz to New York City when the Wicked: For Good star opened the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. To kick of the festivities, she performed “Feeling Good,” popularized by Nina Simone in 1965. The song was originally written and composed by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse — then performed by Cy Grant — for the 1964 musical The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd. Accompanied by a grand pianist, Erivo performed from a dark, round platform placed in the middle of the street. She wore an floor length oxblood dress with a fur coat with slanted fedora to match. After earning a rousing round of applause for her searing edition of the classic, she welcomed fans to the parade and cut the ceremonial red ribbon with a comically large pair of scissors. “It’s a secret,” Erivo said about what she’d perform to open the Thanksgiving Day Parade during a visit to Late Night With Seth Meyers. “I hope I’m standing in one place. I’ve been moving around when I’m singing a lot lately … This will be nice to just be on the ground.” The performance from Erivo, who notably plays Elphaba in the film releases of Jon M. Chu’s Wicked, comes just several days after Wicked: For Good hit theaters on Nov. 21. The film — the second part to last year’s Wicked — has been a box office smash since its release, and is easily the biggest movie of the year. Lainey Wilson, Ciara, the singing voices of KPop Demon Hunters, Conan Gray, Russell Dickerson, and Busta Rhymes are also set to perform during the parade. There are also four new character balloons: Toy Story‘s Buzz Lightyear, Bandai Namco’s Pac-Man, Shrek‘s Onion Carriage, and Nintendo’s Mario. Trending Stories Jackson Browne's Son Ethan Dead at 52 Judge Plans to Force Sale of Nicki Minaj’s $20 Million Mansion to Pay Security Guard’s Judgment 'South Park' Takes on Pete Hegseth's Department of War in New Thanksgiving-Themed Episode How a Mac-and-Cheese Recipe Turned Chef Tini Into TikTok’s Thanksgiving Queen “The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade brings families together like nothing else on television and remains a beloved tradition for millions,” said Jen Neal, an NBCUniversal executive, when the lineup was announced. “We’re proud of our longstanding partnership with Macy’s and look forward to working with them to produce a spectacular parade that we know so many people love and cherish.” The parade is being broadcast on NBC, Telemundo, and is streaming on Peacock. Lainey Wilson Brings 'Peace, Love, and Cowboys' to Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Joseph Hudak and Mankaprr Conteh Dua Lipa Makes Milan Even Cooler in New NBC Winter Olympics Ad Training Season After Criticism, Ticketmaster Caps Olivia Dean Resale Ticket Prices and Refunds Fans Ticketmastered Mankaprr Conteh Shelby Stone Is Red Dirt Country's Blue-Haired Heartbreaker fresh voice Josh Crutchmer Johnny Cash Estate Sues Coca-Cola Claiming an Ad Illegally Mimics the Country Legend’s Voice Courts and Crime Althea Legaspi Go to PMC.com Most Popular The 100 Best Comedy Movies of All Time ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Ends Season 34 With Star-Studded Finale as a New Winner Is Crowned: See the Scores, Who Won Zoe Saldaña Looks Like a Hippie Goddess as She Frees the Nipple for Vogue Mexico Vanity Fair’s Soon-To-Be-Published Hollywood Issue Includes an Intimate Portrait of Olivia Nuzzi You might also like The Best Early Black Friday Deals to Shop This Week: Apple, Nespresso, Le Creuset, Ray-Ban and More 19 hours ago Does Bath & Body Works Have Black Friday Doorbusters? What to Know About Their First-Ever 'Buy 3, Get 4 Free' Deal 4 hours ago Rhea Seehorn Tries to Save the Weirdly Happy World in Vince Gilligan’s New Sci-fi Series ‘Pluribus’ ‘BLKNWS’: How a Cable News Alternative Became 2025’s Most Groundbreaking Film 17 hours ago Dundon Ordered to Pay $1 in AAF Football League Bankruptcy Case 17 hours ago Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2025 Rolling Stone, LLC. All rights reserved. Powered by WordPress.com VIP