Rutgers’ Marching Scarlet Knights band to perform at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Band officials say the application process for the 2023 parade started in 2021.
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The Marching Scarlet Knights have played at the Super Bowl, they’ve played for President Joe Biden when he was the vice president and now they’re getting ready to hit another big stage - the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Todd Nichols is the Rutgers University director of bands. He says the application process for the 2023 parade started in 2021.
"It’s a really intense audition and application process. You go through a lot of vetting. You send in your video tapes, audio recordings, letters of reference all kinds of markers of what the band has achieved in the past,” Nichols says.
The band has been pretty busy, performing with the likes of Imagine Dragons and U2. It’s been 20 years since a New Jersey band last performed in the Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Master degree student, featured twirler and Union native Tiahna Selby has been waiting for this moment her entire life.
"I watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with my family every year so this is going to be a really exciting opportunity,” she says.
This is the No. 1 performance opportunity for everyone to see and hear a band’s work. Julia Baumanis is Rutgers University's Associate Director of Bands and she's just as excited as her band.
"I always wondered what it would be like, should we have a marching band to get into it and now it’s actually happening,” she says.
Many have tried, few are chosen - 100 college bands applied and three were selected. The Marching Scarlet Knights is comprised of 350 students representing 78 majors who are all ready to make us Jersey Proud.
