macy's | It's Christmas 365

Take a step back in time when Downtown Pittsburgh was full of retailers, festive window displays and so much holiday cheer.

Heinz History Center’s “A Very Merry Pittsburgh” exhibit is back this holiday season. The exhibit opens Nov. 18 and continues through Dec. 31.

The special exhibit features a variety of holiday-themed artifacts, images and keepsakes showing how people across the region have celebrated the holidays, including Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Diwali, Christmas and more.

The exhibit will transport you back to the bustling holiday season in Downtown Pittsburgh with amazing window displays from Kaufmann’s, Horne’s and other department stores of Pittsburgh’s past.

No holiday trip to town was complete without a visit with Santa! And the Heinz History Center has Pittsburgh’s own Santa in a replica of the famous Kaufmann’s chair.

This is a great experience to see how Pittsburghers celebrate a variety of holidays throughout the season.

Plus, Santa will be there on select days.

Make time to see:

Objects from Kaufmann’s Santaland — including Santa’s original chair
See the mailbox where thousands of Pittsburgh children mailed their Christmas wish lists to the North Pole.
Check out retro toys including Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots and Mr. Potato Head

Special events

‘Tis the Season to See Santa
Best of the Batch Holiday toy drive (Dec. 9)

Let’s have a longer parade! The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has been extended by 30 minutes for 2023!

“For the first time in its long history, the iconic holiday tradition will begin 30 minutes early in New York and on the official national broadcast,” Macy’s said in a news release issued Nov. 1.

Plus, the legendary star of music, film, stage and television, Cher, will perform a new holiday hit and kick off the season at 34th Street.

Viewers will see snippets from Broadway’s “& Juliet,” “Back to the Future: The Musical,” “How To Dance In Ohio,” “Shucked” and “Spamalot,” with a special appearance by Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells of “Gutenberg! The Musical!”

Plus, see stars David Foster, Katharine McPhee and Ashley Park with the cast and Muppets of Sesame Street.

The broadcast will begin at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 23 featuring a showstopping performance by Jon Batiste.

U.S. Olympic silver medalist Jordan Chiles (gymnastics), U.S. Paralympian Ezra Frech (track and field), U.S. Paralympic gold medalist Jessica Long (swimming) and Miss America 2023 Grace Stanke also will make appearances.

This year four new floats will debut in the Macy’s Parade celebration. The floating stages, along with their scheduled performers, include Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem by Nickelodeon & Paramount (Bell Biv DeVoe); Palace of Sweets by Brach’s (Brandy); Igniting Memories by Solo Stove (Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors); and The Deliciously Delectable World of Wonkaby Warner Bros. Pictures.

The 97^th Macy’s Parade lineup will include 5,000 volunteers, 16 featured character balloons, 26 fantastic floats, 32 heritage and novelty balloons, more than 700 clowns, 12 marching bands and nine performance groups. Joining these Macy’s Parade fixtures are some of the biggest stars in music, all welcoming in Santa Claus and the holidays.

Completing the float lineup will be a special appearance by the Macy’s Singing Christmas Tree, featuring a holiday choir comprised of Macy’s colleagues with Bigs and Littles from Big Brothers Big Sisters. The creation of this special ensemble furthers Macy’s commitment to youth empowerment through its social purpose platform, Mission Every One, celebrating the power of mentorship and a multiyear partnership between Macy’s and Big Brothers Big Sisters.

The Macy’s Parade holds a cherished and longstanding tradition of showcasing the nation’s finest marching bands. Marching in this year’s parade will be the Alabama A&M University Marching Maroon and White (Huntsville, AL); The Band Directors Marching Band (United States); Fishers High School Marching Tiger Band (Fishers, IN); Greendale High School Marching Band (Greendale, WI); Jenison High School Marching Band (Jenison, MI); Macy’s Great American Marching Band (United States); Mercer Island High School Marching Band (Mercer Island, WA); NYPD Marching Band (New York, NY); O’Fallon Township High School Marching Panthers (O’Fallon, IL); Rutgers University Marching Scarlet Knights (Piscataway, NJ); Marjory Stoneman Douglas Eagle Regiment High School Marching Band (Parkland, FL); and Texas Tech University Goin’ Band from Raiderland (Lubbock, TX).

NBC’s coverage will be hosted by Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker.

See the parade from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. in all time zones on NBC and Peacock.

See so much more about the parade at macys.com/parade.