Towson University's marching band is heading back to one of the country's biggest stages: the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in Manhattan. The university says its 225-member band will march in the 101st edition of the parade, marking its first appearance there since 2009, and school officials have kicked off a $500,000 fundraising campaign to get the students to New York.
First Parade Return in Nearly Two Decades
Towson University announced the band's return to the Macy's parade, with the performance set for 2027 and described as the Towson University Marching Band's first trip back to the event since 2009, according to WBAL. The Baltimore Banner also described the band as selected to perform at the 2027 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Taylor Yozwiak, Towson's director of athletic bands, said the invitation reflects years of dedication by students, staff and the marching band community, and that the ensemble was honored to be invited back and eager to represent Towson nationally, according to the Baltimore Sun. Towson University President Mark Ginsberg added that the selection recognizes years of hard work, artistic excellence and dedication, and said he was thrilled band members would get to showcase their talent on a national stage.
A $500,000 Campaign for Travel and Gear
To make the trip happen, Towson launched a $500,000 fundraising campaign, with the money earmarked for student transportation, lodging, meals and equipment costs tied to the New York trip, per the same account. University officials said preparing for the holiday performance would begin immediately. The parade route itself stretches roughly 2.5 miles through Manhattan before ending at Macy's flagship Herald Square store.
Getting picked for the march is no small feat. The marching-band application process for the New York parade is highly competitive, the university said, and Macy's selects only a small number of bands from hundreds of applicants nationwide each year, according to WBAL. More than 100 schools apply in a given year, Fox61 reports.
Towson's History With the Parade
Towson's band last marched in Macy's parade in November 2009, after being selected from roughly 200 applicants, according to Towson University. That performance put the band in front of an estimated 3.5 million people lining the streets of New York City, plus more than 50 million television viewers, the university's website states. The band has also performed closer to home in New York's Veterans Day Parade, appearing in both 2018 and 2022.
Membership in the Towson University Marching Band is open to any Towson student, including non-music majors, and the 2026 roster includes 225 members, per the university. Every member of the marching band receives a scholarship of $500 to $1,000 for participating in the fall semester, and the band prepares one halftime show each season, according to the same source.
Maryland's Spotty Macy's Parade Track Record
No marching bands from Maryland are slated to perform in the 2026 Macy's parade, the Baltimore Sun reports, underscoring how rare an invitation can be for the state's schools. Maryland has had only sporadic representation in the parade's history: the University of Maryland's Mighty Sound of Maryland performed in 2000, and Morgan State University's Magnificent Marching Machine took part in 2019.
Towson's eventual return would slot into a broader wave of college bands breaking into the parade lineup. The University of Connecticut Marching Band is set to make its own Macy's debut, its first invitation in the band's 130-year history, as one of just 12 bands chosen to perform, Fox61 reports.
