Thanksgiving morning is getting a little more animated in 2026. Disney is joining the 100th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with a sky-high new Mickey Mouse balloon, returning favorites, and a Disney Cruise Line float ready to make waves in Manhattan.
A Sorcerer Steps Into the Skyline
The newest addition to the lineup is the Sorcerer’s Apprentice Mickey balloon, making its Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade debut more than 90 years after the first Mickey balloon flew. It first appeared, fully inflated, at D23 Day at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim in August 2026 before receiving the green light at Macy’s Balloonfest.
Balloonfest takes place in early November, a few weeks before Thanksgiving, when new balloons are inflated outside their test-flight settings and handlers learn how to guide them on the more-than-two-mile route from the Upper West Side to Midtown Manhattan. Even a sorcerer needs a good ground crew.
Sorcerer’s Apprentice Mickey made his screen debut in Disney’s Fantasia and remains a familiar Parks presence as the star of Fantasmic! and a character guests can meet at Red Carpet Dreams in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The character was selected to help commemorate the parade’s 100th outing, a celebration Disney has participated in for 90 years.
The Disney Lineup Is Looking Up
Mickey will have plenty of company above the city streets. Spider-Man, whose balloon first appeared in the 1987 parade, returns for 2026, along with Buzz Lightyear, who first launched in 2008. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice Mickey balloon rounds out the Disney balloon crew as the brand-new arrival.
Disney is also celebrating the occasion with a Macy’s merchandise collection containing more than 100 pieces. The assortment looks back across the decades with Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters from different eras of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Disney Cruise Line Returns to the Route
For its second year, Disney Cruise Line’s “Magic Meets the Seas” float will sail through the parade with Captain Mickey Mouse, Captain Minnie Mouse and First Mate Goofy dressed in glittering officer ensembles.
Elsa and Queen Anna from Frozen, Woody and Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story, Stitch from Lilo & Stitch, Mirabel from Encanto, Spider-Man and several Disney royal couples will join the crew. Performers will bring ocean-inspired choreography to a lively rendition of the Disney Cruise Line anthem, “Shimmering Seas.”
The float is a rolling nod to the experiences aboard Disney Cruise Line ships, including Broadway-style stage shows, themed spaces, dining and Disney service. Disney Cruise Line also recently revealed the Disney Believe, scheduled to debut in December 2027.
How to Watch the Big Birthday March
The 100th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade airs Thursday, November 26, on NBC, Peacock and Telemundo, beginning at 8:30 a.m. in all time zones. For parade updates and participation details, follow @macys on social platforms, use #MacysParade, or visit macys.com/parade.
From a sorcerer in the sky to a cruise ship float on the avenue, Disney’s 2026 parade presence is packing plenty of holiday spectacle into one very busy Manhattan morning.
