Latest update: Aug. 26, noon
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — An exciting announcement on Sunday, at the end of their band camp, caught the Temple University Diamond Marching Band by surprise. The talented students who perform with the band were shocked, ecstatic and bursting with pride when they learned Sunday they were chosen to perform in the 2025 Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in New York City.
After a week of drills and new choreography ahead of the upcoming school year, band members performed in front of family, friends and alumni on Sunday. When the showcase was over, they were asked to sit down, and band leaders made a grand reveal in front of family and friends with the news.
A drum head was pulled from a cardboard box, and as it was turned to face the students, they could see printed on it the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade logo.
The band immediately erupted in cheers.
Jeffery Fountain, a trumpet section leader, said he got emotional at the news.
“The second I saw the ‘Macy’s’ in the drum head, I started crying. It was amazing,” he said.
“I mean, the Macy’s Day Parade is the crème de la crème of parades for the bands, so this is going to be such an amazing experience for me, and I can’t wait for next year’s Thanksgiving — as far away as that is right now.”
The announcement was bittersweet for some, like Jeremy Shamai, a drum major who will graduate before the 2025 parade.
“So happy for them that they get to do it. We had no idea,” he said.
Fountain is a senior — but he is in a five-year program, so he will be eligible to perform with the band in 2025.
The university applied to perform in the parade months ago, and band leaders say they found out in the spring that Temple had been. Four collegiate bands have been invited to march in the 2025 parade, according to a Macy's spokesperson.
“It’s the biggest honor to get this invite,” said Robert Stroker, dean of the center for performing and cinematic arts.
Matt Brunner, director of athletic bands, says it’s been a tough secret to keep. And although they have plenty of time, and plenty of football to get through, Brunner knows he wants to show off Philly and Temple the best way he can in the Big Apple.
“I want to find that thing that is us. Do a little bit of drill, we’ll do a little bit of music that’ll have people tapping their feet. Throw in some choreography, too. It’s a little bit of everything.”
CORRECTION: In a prior version of this article, a source had misstated how many collegiate bands are invited to perform in the 2025 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The article has been edited to reflect the correction.