Five Orange County Public Schools students are packing their instruments for New York City this Thanksgiving after being selected to perform with the Macy's Great American Marching Band in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade next month. The group includes Jocelyn Watters, Noah Sidabutar and Zander Peetoom of Horizon High, Finley Hanebrink of West Orange High, and Noah Valle of Windermere High School.
According to WESH, the five musicians, all based in Orange County, Florida, earned spots in the nationally recognized ensemble that performs each year as part of the iconic Manhattan parade. WESH 2 is set to broadcast the students' performance on Thanksgiving morning, giving Central Florida families a chance to watch the hometown group march through the city on live television.
This isn't the district's first appearance in the lineup. Four Orange County Public Schools students marched with the Macy's Great American Marching Band in the 99th annual parade on Nov. 27, 2025, according to the Orange Observer. That group included Lake Buena Vista High's Collier Alexander-Sawyer, West Orange High's Enzo Ward and Westin Filby, and Horizon High's Noah Sidabutar — the same Sidabutar now headed back to New York for a second year.
A Horizon Student's Second Trip to the Big Apple
Sidabutar's return trip caps a determined stretch of practice. The Horizon High junior, 16, told mynews13.com he didn't make the band on his first try. “I made it my goal to get in next year. So I practiced and took some more lessons. And I got in this year,” he said, per the outlet's report. Last year, he was slated to march with the parade's drumline through the streets of New York City.
How Big Is the Band, Exactly?
Just how large the Macy's Great American Marching Band actually is depends on who's counting. wftv.com reported in 2025 that the ensemble features 250 high school musicians pulled from across the country, while baynews9.com described the band as made up of 185 of the best high school performers nationwide in an earlier report. Neither figure has been reconciled publicly, but either way, landing a spot means standing out among a sizable pool of young musicians from across the United States.
Central Florida's Growing Presence in the Parade
Orange County isn't the only Central Florida district sending students to Herald Square this time of year. Osceola County students from Harmony and Celebration high schools marched in the 2025 parade as well, according to wftv.com, with Harmony High's Sound of the Stampede represented by three students and Celebration High's Sound of the Storm sending 11 performers. Florida students have made the cut in other years too — Pasco County's River Ridge High School sophomore Brecklynn Bashant was selected for the band back in 2023, baynews9.com reported at the time.
For now, the specifics of this year's performance — the exact date, time and route the Orange County contingent will march — haven't been detailed beyond the broader Thanksgiving Day event. What is clear is that five more Central Florida teenagers will be representing their schools on one of the biggest stages in American holiday tradition.
