Stranger Things float will bring a Demogorgon to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
After being delayed several months by the writers’ strike and the actors’ strike, season 5 of the hit Netflix series Stranger Things (which is also the last season of the show) finally went into production at the start of 2024 with a twelve-month shooting schedule, wrapping at the end of December. We’ve heard that series creators the Duffer Brothers have been working hard to get the season ready for release by the end of the year – and now we know exactly when the premiere date is. Netflix recently announced that Stranger Things season 5 will be released in three parts, with volume one on November 26, 2025, volume two on Christmas Day, 2025, and the series finale on New Year’s Eve, with each volume being released at 8pm Eastern time. Twelve and a half hours after the first batch of episodes are unveiled, at 8:30am on November 27th, NBC will be airing and Peacock will be streaming this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade – and this year, the parade will feature a Stranger Things float that comes complete with a Demogorgon!
Brendan Kennedy is the director of creative production at Macy’s studio, and while discussing this year’s parade with Variety, Kennedy revealed that the Stranger Things float is the one he’s most excited about. “(Series creators) the Duffer brothers have been on it the whole time. This is such a cool departure from saying, ‘Hey, 3D print me something from a film.’ What we’re doing here is creating a world. This is fully experiential.“
The float is made to look like the Hawkins National Laboratory and includes smoke and lighting effects. Kennedy said, “There’s a containment device meant to contain an eight and a half foot tall Demogorgon puppet. That size is really in the wheelhouse of parade and continuing the legacy of Tony Sarg’s puppetry in the parade. It’s the laboratory come to life.” The band Foreigner, whose music is featured on Stranger Things, will also be performing on 34th Street.
Other floats in this year’s Thanksgiving parade include KPop Demon Hunters and Labubu, and new balloons include Buzz Lightyear, Mario, Shrek, and Pac-Man. All in all, bringing this edition of the parade to life requires 34 balloons, 4 balloonicles, 28 floats, 14 specialty units, 33 clown groups, 11 marching bands, approximately 8000 participants (5000 volunteers, plus band and performance groups members), 2000 gallons of paint, 300 pounds of glitter, 200 pounds of confetti, 75 fine art brushes, 300 other types of paint brushes, and more than 4500 costumes.
Stranger Things has the following synopsis: A love letter to the ‘80s classic genre films that captivated a generation, Stranger Things is a thrilling drama set in the seemingly normal Midwestern town of Hawkins, Indiana. After a boy vanishes into thin air, his close-knit group of friends and family search for answers and are pulled into a high-stakes and deadly series of events. Beneath the surface of their ordinary town lurks an extraordinary supernatural mystery, along with top-secret government experiments and a dangerous gateway that connects our world to a powerful yet sinister realm. Friendships will be tested and lives will be altered as what they discover will change Hawkins and possibly the world — forever. Here’s what we can expect from season 5: The fall of 1987. Hawkins is scarred by the opening of the Rifts, and our heroes are united by a single goal: find and kill Vecna. But he has vanished — his whereabouts and plans unknown. Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven, forcing her back into hiding. As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread. The final battle is looming — and with it, a darkness more powerful and more deadly than anything they’ve faced before. To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone — the full party — standing together, one last time.
The cast includes Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), David Harbour (Jim Hopper), Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), Noah Schnapp (Will Byers), Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield), Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers), Joe Keery (Steve Harrington), Maya Hawke (Robin Buckley), Priah Ferguson (Erica Sinclair), Brett Gelman (Murray), Jamie Campbell Bower (Vecna), Cara Buono (Karen Wheeler), Amybeth McNulty (Vickie), Nell Fisher (Holly Wheeler), Jake Connelly (Derek Turnbow), Alex Breaux (Lt. Akers), and Linda Hamilton (Dr. Kay). New to the cast for Stranger Things season 5 are Linda Hamilton (The Terminator), Nell Fisher (Evil Dead Rise), newcomer Jake Connelly, and Alex Breaux (Joe Pickett).
Stranger Things is produced by Monkey Massacre Productions and 21 Laps Entertainment. Series creators The Duffer Brothers serve as executive producers alongside Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen of 21 Laps Entertainment, Iain Paterson, and Curtis Gwinn. The Shawshank Redemption director Frank Darabont ended an 11-year break from directing to take the helm of an episode of this final season.
Do you watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and are you glad to hear a Stranger Things float will be involved this year? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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