Chicago Thanksgiving parade brings ‘the world to State Street’ in 90th year

Thousands of spectators clad in puffer jackets, scarves and blankets chose to spend Thanksgiving morning lining State Street in the Loop in freezing temperatures.

Over the next several hours, about one hundred acts and performances strut from Ida B. Wells Drive to Randolph Street in a showcase of cultures from around the world.

“It’s really cool how we can bring the world to Chicago right here on State Street. That’s the awesome part about it,” Dennis Evashenk, president of the Chicago Thanksgiving Parade Foundation, said of the celebration.

Once the parade, kicked off Thursday morning, the Loop boomed with music. From several renditions of Kool & the Gang’s “Celebrate,” to Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas,” holiday cheer helped remedy chattering teeth.

Lynn Whitfield, an Emmy-award winning actress featured on the two most recent seasons of “The Chi,” was on hand to celebrate the day in a silver convertible. Working on the show has given Whitfield an admiration for Chicago, and accepting the invite to participate in the parade was a no-brainer, she said.

“You hear one thing in the news, but when I go to Chicago I see people who are really grounded in their tradition and in their culture,” the actress said.

Dubbed the second best Thanksgiving parade by TimeOut, the Chicago Thanksgiving Parade, now in its 90th year, focuses more on a multicultural lens than other celebrations, like New York’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Ruth Correa braved the cold with a plush blanket-style hoodie. The Guatemala native has lived in Chicago for the last 50 years and but started attending the parade five years ago.

“It’s a good display of nationalities and cultures,” she said.

From Whiting, Ind., Gabriela Lopez brought her family and seven-month-old yorkie puppy, Teddy, with her to the parade. Lopez has been attending since 2016 and loves seeing the equestrian teams from Mexico. Baby Teddy spent much of the day nestled in her jacket.

“It’s a cheerful and peaceful event,” added her mother, Julia Lopez. “It gives us a wonderful opportunity to mingle with different cultures. And it’s a nice opportunity to spend a night downtown.”

The Lopez family is only a 45-minute drive from Chicago, but plenty of attendees come from further away.

Tasha Smith, along with her husband and three children, made the five-hour drive from Dayton, Ohio to celebrate both her daughter Peyton, 17, and the holiday.

“We came for her birthday,” Smith said. “We’ve never seen a big parade.”

Among the wide variety of performers and parade participants are nineteen marching bands, five equestrian teams, dancers, singers, plus floats and balloons.

“Even though some groups come every year, they’re always changing their performances and showing us something new about their culture,” said Berry.

Some groups begin their plans to perform two years in advance.

Australian boy band Overnight, featured on “The Voice” Australia in 2023, made their first trip to America for their Thanksgiving parade performance.

Chicago fan-favorite performers like the Jesse White Tumblers and Jewel-Osco’s one-eyed mascot JoJo elicited choruses of cheers during the parade. Groups including the Unicycling Society of America, the Windy City Ghostbusters and dancers twirling batons lit with fire captivated the crowd.

Maureen Battista from the southwest suburbs has been attending the parade yearly for two decades. She brings whoever is willing to tag along. This time her daughter Bri Battista, 31, was along for the ride, and the two huddled up prior to the start of the parade with hats, gloves and folding chairs.

“We don’t leave until it’s done,” Maureen Battista laughed. “It’s not done until Santa goes by.”