On Thursday, most football fans will tune in to watch NFL contests (or Tulane vs. Memphis) while they eat turkey. Thanksgiving football is a limited slate, but South Carolina fans still can get a taste of Gamecock gameday. The Carolina Band—AKA The Mighty Sound of the Southeast—will be in New York City taking part in the famous Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
As one of 11 marching bands participating, the Carolina Band will be part of the 98th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. This will be South Carolina’s first time participating in the Thanksgiving festivities.
Gamecock fans who would like to watch the band on Thursday can tune in to NBC. The network’s coverage of the parade begins at 8:30 a.m. to noon. The Peacock app also will make the parade available via streaming. Then, there will be an encore at 2:00 p.m.
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Led by Dr. Jay Jacobs, Dr. Cormac Cannon, and Dr. Quintus Wrighten, the group already has performed on NBC’s Today Show. On Thursday, they will march for 3.5 hours and 2.5 miles on Saturday. All 375 band members will be on hand.
The best time to watch The Mighty Sound of the Southeast on TV will be around 11:10 a.m. They will be following the Smokey Bear balloon just ahead of the Peanuts float and Snoopy balloon.
Following the Gamecocks’ victory over Wofford last Saturday in the final home game of the season, the Carolina Band traveled north to get ready for the special Thanksgiving. When the parade festivities conclude, the Mighty Sound of the Southeast will return for the final game of the season against the rival Clemson Tigers in the Upstate.
The Gamecocks and Tigers will kick off at noon on Saturday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN and streamed on the ESPN app. Both teams hold onto College Football Playoff hopes, making this weekend’s Palmetto Bowl one of the biggest in history.
