The largest Thanksgiving parade in the Southeast lights up Charlotte with a magical showcase of larger-than-life floats and
balloons, nationally known recording artists, marching bands, dance teams and plenty of surprises. The 2024 parade will be held Wednesday, November 27, the night before Thanksgiving.
The Novant Health Thanksgiving Parade began as a small local holiday parade in Charlotte in 1947. Hundreds of thousands of participants,
volunteers, sponsors, families and friends have centered their Thanksgiving traditions around this annual event. With Novant Health as title sponsor since 2013, the
parade continues to increase in size and spectacle each year, delighting more than 110,000 people along Tryon Street and reaching more than 1.5 million homes through the annual TV broadcast.
The parade travels along Tryon Street through Uptown Charlotte. The lineup includes space for 6 marching bands, and bands from across the region and the country are encouraged to apply.
High school bands are automatically entered into the WBTV Battle of the Bands competition where their performance is posted online and voted on by spectators and fans.
Charlotte Center City Partners has proudly revived the Marching Band Scholarship Program. Marching bands have been an integral
part of the Thanksgiving Parade since it first began in 1947 and after a brief hiatus, the scholarship program has returned to encourage students to continue their musical practices beyond high school.
The program includes three $1,000 grant scholarships and the $2,500 Queen Charlotte Music Scholarship.
The parade will air LIVE on WCCB beginning at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, November 27.
Battle of the Bands Participants:
• Bunker Hill High School Marching Bears, Claremont, NC
• East Burke High School Marching Cavaliers, Connelly Springs, NC
• Foard High School Tiger Band, Newton, NC
• Independence Marching Band, Charlotte, NC
• Morehead High School Pride of Morehead Marching Band, Eden, NC
• Monroe High School Red Storm Marching Band, Monroe, NC
• Myers Park High School Marching Mustangs, Charlotte, NC
Community Marching Units:
• Bailey "Master" Brass Marching Band, Charlotte, NC
• Drills of Hope Marching Thunder, Charlotte, NC
• Greenville Community Combined Youth Organization Marching Corps, Greenville, NC
• Rhythm of Psalms (ROP) Marching Band
• "The Commandant's Own" United States Marine Drum & Bugle Corps, Washington, DC
Web: NovantHealthThanksgivingParade.com
Email: Logan Coon, Charlotte Center City Partners
Mail: 200 S. Tryon Street, Suite 1600, Charlotte, NC 28202
Phone: 704-332-2227
If you're interested in entering your band in the Novant Health Thanksgiving Eve Parade,
please request an application from Logan Coon at the contact info above.
Applications will be open from February 1 through August 31.