The Bridgewater College Screamin’ Eagles Marching Band has been selected to march in Philadelphia’s 2024 Thanksgiving Day Parade.
The band will perform the classic Christmas carol “Joy to the World.”
Philadelphia’s annual Thanksgiving Day Parade, sponsored by a local ABC affiliate station 6abc and Dunkin’, is the longest-running parade of its kind in the United States.
First organized in 1920 by Gimbels, a now-closed department store that was once Macy’s primary rival, spectators today can expect to see plenty of festive floats, music and dance performances and an appearance from Santa over the course of the three-hour parade. The 1.4-mile route of the parade begins at the intersection of 20th Street and JFK Boulevard and ends in front of the iconic Philadelphia Museum of Art.
The Screamin’ Eagles’ Philadelphia performance comes less than two years after the band traveled to London to march in the 2023 London New Year’s Day Parade and slightly more than three years since the band’s inception. BC instructor of music and director of athletic bands Barry Flowe said he hopes to continue offering once-in-a-lifetime opportunities as the band keeps growing.
“People at BC really love and support music, and the band members are BC ambassadors. These trips to London and Philadelphia are all about getting them excited to be in the band and represent the college,” Flowe said.
The marching band will also travel to New York City November 25 to 27 to see the musicals “Hamilton” and “Hadestown” performed on Broadway. In the 2024 marching season, the Screamin’ Eagles performed a selection of songs from the two musicals and others in their halftime show, “Bridgewater on Broadway.”
Charlie Hale ’26, a music major from Grottoes and one of the band’s drum majors, said seeing the two shows on Broadway before marching in Philadelphia is a fitting send-off for the season’s end.
“It will be incredible to see professionals do an entire production rather than just the sections we performed in our show,” Hale said.
Live coverage of the Thanksgiving Day Parade will begin on Thursday, November 28 with a pre-parade special at 8:30 a.m. and the kickoff at 9 a.m. Viewers in the Philadelphia area can watch the parade on channel 6abc, although a livestream of the event will also be available nationally on 6abc.com, Disney+ and Hulu.
Founded in 1880, Bridgewater College is a private, four-year liberal arts college in the Central Shenandoah Valley. Bridgewater College is home to approximately 1,450 students pursuing degrees in more than 60 undergraduate majors and minors and four graduate programs housed within three distinct schools.
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Rebecca Barnabi
