Add to your team order
Light-Up LED Pom Poms
Metallic streamers with LEDs built into the pom, a rechargeable pack, and one remote that changes the whole team’s color at once.
$145 USD per pair
For directors marching a cheer squad, dance team or band dance line in a Thanksgiving parade: our LED pom poms are full metallic poms that read in daylight and on TV, then light up at that weekend’s night game, all changing color by one remote. Team pricing is $120 a pair on 10 or more pairs.
Which Thanksgiving parades can cheer squads, dance teams and bands march in?
Five big Thanksgiving Day parades put school, college and club performers on the street on Thursday, November 26, 2026, and all five step off in the morning. The line needs poms that read in daylight and on TV first; ours are full metallic poms that do, then light up at that weekend’s night game. One set covers both.
| Parade | Organizer | Start | How groups get in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Macy’s, New York | Macy’s | 8:30 a.m. ET (2025) | Online application with full-show video |
| Spirit of America, in the Macy’s parade | Spirit of America Productions | Same parade | Camp or competition invitation, or audition |
| Chicago, State Street | #ChiParade team and the Chicago Thanksgiving Parade Foundation | About 7:45 a.m. CT | Online application; 2027 dates posted in December |
| 6abc Dunkin’, Philadelphia | 6abc | 8:30 a.m. ET | Varsity All-Americans; bands and studios through 6abc |
| H-E-B, Houston | City of Houston | 9:00 a.m. | Online registration; 2026 closed October 2 |
| America’s Thanksgiving Parade, Detroit | The Parade Company | 8:45 a.m. ET (2025) | Dance and band applications; 2027 due July 30, 2027 |
Confirm deadlines with each organizer before you budget.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade: how bands and groups are chosen
Bands and specialty groups apply online, and Macy’s selection committee says footage of a complete performance is the most persuasive part. Applications for the 2028 parade are due March 1, 2027, with decisions by June 15 (source: Macy’s Parade application). For the 100th parade in 2026, 10 bands were chosen from more than 100 applicants, and Macy’s gave the Marching Illini $10,000 toward the trip (source: University of Illinois). In 2025 the parade stepped off at 8:30 a.m. ET on the Upper West Side and ended at Macy’s Herald Square (source: ABC7 New York). If your band has a pom line, film the application show at a night game with the poms lit.
Spirit of America cheer and dance: how cheerleaders and dancers join the Macy’s parade
Spirit of America Productions puts two numbers in the Macy’s parade: Cheer/Pom, for cheerleaders and dancers 14 and older, and Dance, for high school and studio dancers 14 to 18 (source: Spirit of America Productions). Each is 550 performers, chosen by invitation or qualification at summer camps and competitions, or by audition (source: Spirit of America FAQ); 2027 applications open January 1 (source: Spirit of America auditions).
The 2026 performer package is $3,350 to $4,250 per person before airfare, with a $500 deposit. Registration is first-come, first-served, has filled as early as July 1, and the package includes the parade costume (source: Spirit of America performer package). Because the costume is supplied, the New York trip is not a pom order; the squad those dancers come home to is.
Chicago and Philadelphia: State Street and the Parkway
Chicago. The 92nd parade steps off around 7:45 a.m. CT and runs north on State Street from Ida B. Wells Drive to Randolph Street, with bands from across the country plus dance troupes and drum lines (source: Choose Chicago). The #ChiParade team runs it with the Chicago Thanksgiving Parade Foundation (source: #ChiParade). Groups apply online; 2026 applications closed May 1, and 2027 dates go up in December (source: Chicago Thanksgiving Parade).
Philadelphia. The 6abc Dunkin’ parade, the longest-running Thanksgiving Day parade in the country, runs 8:30 a.m. to noon from 20th Street and JFK Boulevard up the Parkway to the Philadelphia Museum of Art (source: Visit Philadelphia). A full 6abc production, it had 11 marching bands and more than 1,000 singers and dancers in 2025 (source: 6abc). Varsity Spirit brings more than 500 junior high and high school All-Americans, the top 15% at its summer camps (source: Varsity Spirit). Bands and studios should ask 6abc about the next cycle.
Houston and Detroit: plan now for 2027
Houston. The 77th H-E-B parade rolls through downtown at 9:00 a.m., run by the City of Houston’s Special Events Office (source: City of Houston). Groups register online; the 2026 deadline was October 2 (source: City of Houston application).
Detroit. The Parade Company’s 100th America’s Thanksgiving Parade runs on Woodward Avenue. Dance, marching band and equestrian applications for 2027 are due by July 30, 2027, judged on costumes, music, performance, entertainment value and teamwork. In 2025 it stepped off at 8:45 a.m. and marched nine bands alongside dance studios and a pom pon all-star team (source: The Parade Company). Costumes and entertainment value are on that scorecard, so show the committee a matched line.
What should a selected squad order for a morning parade?
If your call time is before sunrise, the line warms up in the dark; by step-off it is daylight and the cameras are on.
- Full metallic streamers read as real poms in daylight and on TV, LEDs on or off.
- LEDs built into the pom itself, not one light in the handle, carry the dark staging area and the night game.
- One remote changes the whole squad’s color together.
- 7 oz per pom, on rechargeable packs.
Battery time is 3 to 4 hours per charge, and white and rainbow drain it faster: charge every pack the night before, run a team color on the route and recharge before the game.
A set the squad passes down, season to season
Light-up poms are equipment, not a costume line: LEDs built into each pom, full metallic streamers, rechargeable packs and one remote that changes every pom together, so next year’s colors and parades are covered. The Purdue Golduster Dance Team, the dance line of the Purdue “All-American” Marching Band, ordered 24 pairs from us in September 2026. Use your own number of seasons: 20 pairs at $120 is $2,400; over three seasons that’s $800 a season. See professional cheer pom poms built to last.
Trip checklist: who pays, what to pack, what to order
| Line | Who usually pays | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Travel and hotel | Families, boosters, fundraising | Spirit of America: $3,350 to $4,250 per person before airfare |
| Poms for the line | Booster club or program | $120 a pair on 10+ pairs, used every game after |
| Two spare pairs | Booster club | For a dropped pom on the route |
| Cold-weather layers | Families | Matched, so the line reads as one unit |
- Charged poms and the remote, with one person in charge of it.
- Spares in a labeled bag at the back of the line.
- Thanksgiving parade float ideas: if the boosters build a float, theme it in team colors with the squad in front; see parade float ideas.
How many pairs does a parade unit need?
At our team rate of $120 a pair on 10 or more pairs:
| Group | Pairs | Cost at the team rate |
|---|---|---|
| Dance team of 16 | 18 | $2,160 |
| Cheer squad of 20 | 22 | $2,640 |
| Band dance line of 24 | 26 | $3,120 |
Pair counts include two spares.
Email or DM us with the parade, your date, the size of the line and your team colors. We make our light-up products ourselves and will tell you plainly what fits your date. See team orders for how a group order works.
Add to your team order
LED Pom Poms — Team Order
Metallic streamers with LEDs built into the pom, a rechargeable pack, and one remote that changes the whole team’s color at once.
$120 USD per pair · 10-pair minimum
Frequently asked questions
When are the 2026 Thanksgiving parades?
Thursday, November 26, 2026, all in the morning: Chicago around 7:45 a.m. CT, Philadelphia 8:30 a.m. ET and Houston 9:00 a.m.
How do cheerleaders get into the Macy’s parade?
Through Spirit of America Productions, by invitation at summer camps or competitions, or by audition. 2027 applications open January 1.
How do marching bands get into the Macy’s parade?
By online application led by full-performance video; 2028 applications are due March 1, 2027.
How much does Spirit of America cost?
$3,350 to $4,250 per person in 2026, before airfare, with a $500 deposit.
Can a dance team march in Detroit’s parade?
Yes. The Parade Company takes dance applications; the 2027 deadline is July 30, 2027.
Do light-up poms show up in a morning parade?
Ours do: full metallic poms read in daylight and on TV, and the LEDs take over in the dark. A team of 16 plus two spares is 18 pairs, or $2,160 at our team rate.
See also: parade float ideas, college band dance lines and pom lines in marching bands.
Sources: Macy’s Parade application, University of Illinois, ABC7 New York, Spirit of America Productions, Spirit of America FAQ, Spirit of America auditions, Spirit of America performer package, Choose Chicago, #ChiParade, Chicago Thanksgiving Parade, Visit Philadelphia, 6abc, Varsity Spirit, City of Houston, City of Houston application, The Parade Company.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a trademark of Macy’s, and America’s Thanksgiving Parade a trademark of The Parade Company. Spirit of America Productions, Varsity Spirit, 6abc, Dunkin’ and H-E-B are names or marks of their owners. None is affiliated with Neon Cowboys.
Questions: info@neoncowboys.com.
