For only the second time in school history, the University of Illinois’ marching band will be participating in the iconic Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
According to a press release from the school, the “Marching Illini” will be headed to New York for the annual event for only the second time, following up on a performance back in 2015.
This year’s event marks the unofficial start to the holiday season, with massive crowds and of course the iconic giant parade inflatables that have made it one of the Big Apple’s biggest events of the year.
The parade will step off at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, November 27, and will be televised on NBC Chicago and streamed via Peacock.
The Marching Illini have been around nearly as long as the school itself has been, first organizing as a military band in 1868 and as the first “College Concert Band” in 1872, according to its website.
Since then, the band has performed all over the country and has become a fixture at football and basketball games at Illinois, occupying an area in the north end zone during football games.
They’ll have to hurry back to Champaign after their performance in New York, as they’ll be performing just two days later as the Illini take on the Northwestern Wildcats in their final regular season football game.