CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Marching Illini will perform in the 100th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2026. Band members learned this morning that they were selected as one of 10 marching bands for the centennial anniversary of the holiday parade.
Marching Illini director Barry Houser was notified about the selection a month ago and has kept it secret until the announcement to band members this morning, just after NBC’s Today Show announced the participating bands.
It will be the second time for the Marching Illini to perform in the Macy’s parade. The first time was in 2015, when the band ushered in Santa Claus at the end of the parade — one of the most coveted spots in the lineup.
“This is a recognition of the wonderful work that this group continues to do,” Houser told the 400 band members gathered for an 8 a.m. meeting. “All of this is about the student experience and about not providing just great experiences, but world-class experiences. This is all because of you. When we consider submitting applications like this, we must be sure it is comprised of a quality product.”
Provost John Coleman also spoke to band members, telling them that they bridge the conflicts that divide people.
“Very few things can bring people together without thinking about all the things that divide them. You are this unifying force,” Coleman said.
“I want to let you know how important you are to this community — the community on campus, the community here in Champaign-Urbana and beyond. Our alumni around the world love the Marching Illini,” he said. “We know how much work you put into this. Thank you for making us all proud.”
Houser said he didn’t expect to go back to the parade after 2015 because of the cost and logistics associated with it. But the chance to march in the centennial event swayed him, as did the fact that the band doesn’t have to march at a home football game the Saturday following Thanksgiving in 2026, as it did in 2015.
“This is a really great thing for where the program is right now, and great publicity for the entire University of Illinois System. Our history of 157 years of the Marching Illini and being at the centennial parade celebration seemed like a great thing, not only to celebrate Macy’s but to give our students the opportunity to be in the national spotlight,” Houser said.
High school and college bands are selected for the parade through an extremely competitive process, with 10 bands chosen from more than 100 applicants this year.
The bands march and perform along the 2½-mile parade route lined with 3 million spectators. When they reach Herald Square, they perform for 1 minute and 15 seconds for a television audience of as many as 65 million people, Houser said.
The music that the band plays depends on its spot in the parade lineup, something Houser won’t know until sometime next year. In 2015, the Marching Illini played blues-infused holiday music to recognize Chicago’s musical influence and usher in Santa Claus. Unless the band once again is placed at the end of the parade just before Santa’s appearance, it will play nonholiday-oriented music with some type of Illinois connection, Houser said.
All of the band’s 400 musicians will go to the parade. Mallory Johnson, a piccolo player from Paxton, was excited about being able to march in the Macy’s parade, saying it is a fun part of the holiday season, “and I’ve never been to New York.”
The band’s annual March Forth fundraising campaign will help pay for travel and hotel expenses and key events for the band, Houser said.
The fundraising campaign got a kickstart at the announcement when representatives of the Champaign Macy’s store presented the band with a $10,000 check. Brandon Dang, a sales captain at Macy’s and one of the two store representatives at the announcement, is an alumnus of the Marching Illini. Dang played baritone with the band from 2014-18 and performed in the 2015 Macy’s parade. Dang said it was an unforgettable experience and “a highlight of my life.”
In 2015, the band traveled to New York City on seven charter buses, with a 26-foot box truck hauling instruments. The trip included sightseeing and a reception with Illinois alumni. Houser said he expects the 2026 trip to be similar in terms of activities.
While this year’s seniors won’t perform at the parade, they were a large part of the band’s success and its selection for the parade, Houser said.
Houser has participated as a band director in the parade nine times, as an assistant band director at Buchholz High School in Gainesville, Florida, in 2000 when its band performed there, and as one of the directors of the Macy’s Great American Marching Band.
“It’s still just as exciting as the first time,” Houser said.
Editor’s note: To contact Barry Houser, email bhouser2@illinois.edu.
