South Dakota State University’s marching band, the Pride of the Dakotas, will march in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Thursday.
This is the first time in the school’s history that the band will appear in the Macy’s parade.
There are 344 students in the band attending this trip, along with over 150 fans and family of band members.
Pride members found out spring 2021 about the performance. After more than a year of practice, fundraising and anticipation, the Pride left for New York City Sunday.
They will spend five days in New York and have scheduled activities like visiting Ellis Island, touring the 9/11 Museum, seeing a Radio City Rockettes show and more. The band will also perform at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum Wednesday before the final performance during the parade Thursday.
SDSU is one of 12 bands performing in the Thanksgiving Day parade and is the eighth band in the parade lineup. Benedict College in Columbia, S.C., and the University of Missouri in Columbia, Mo., will also perform in the parade.
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will begin at 7 a.m. MT/8 a.m. CT Thursday, Nov. 24. It will be broadcasted by NBC and CBS.
SDPB will have daily coverage of the band’s activity in New York thanks to reporting from SDSU students from The Collegian, the university’s student-run newspaper, who will be traveling with the band.
