North Miami's Thanksgiving Day parade is lining up its 51st march, and the city is looking for the people who make the noise. Marching bands, dance squads, cheer squads, color guards, step teams and drill teams from middle school through college can sign up to march in the 51st Annual WinterNational Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the entry form closes Friday, Oct. 30, or sooner if the lineup fills.

The parade steps off at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 26, 2026, on NE 125th Street, and this year it is part of something larger. The City of North Miami was incorporated on Feb. 5, 1926, and it has spent 2026 marking its 100th birthday. The city has folded the parade into that centennial year, and every group that enters is asked to show how its unit represents the parade theme, City of North Miami Celebrating 100 Years.

A longer route down NE 125th Street

The 2026 parade runs along NE 125th Street from NE 6th Avenue to NE 12th Avenue, according to the city's parade page. That is two blocks farther east than last year, when the route ran from NE 6th to NE 10th avenues. The main stage sits at North Miami City Hall, 776 NE 125th Street, in the heart of the downtown stretch that also holds MOCA North Miami and the city's council chambers. The city notes that seating at the stage is limited, so families who want a spot close to the performances should plan to arrive early.

The city lists the 2026 theme as Family, Community, Fun, and the parade runs for about two hours, from 10 a.m. to noon.

Last year's 50th had Trina and Rick Ross

The 2025 edition was billed by the city as the parade's Golden Jubilee, marking 50 years of the tradition and kicking off the countdown to the centennial. Miami rappers Trina and Rick Ross served as grand marshals. Floats, Santa and Mrs. Claus, decorated police cars and community groups filled the route, and before the parade MOCA Plaza handed out free hot chocolate, ran arts and crafts tables and posed families for photos with the parade mascot, Ice E. Snowden.

The city has not yet announced grand marshals, a lineup or pre-parade activities for 2026. Its parade page and the Parks and Recreation Department are the places to watch for those details as Thanksgiving gets closer.

Who can march, and how to get in

The parade is open to a wide range of groups. The entry form lists categories for floats, marching bands, majorettes and twirlers, flag and color guard, dance squads and teams, cheer squads, step teams, drill teams, walking groups, clubs and organizations, vehicles and an other category for anything that does not fit. A group can check more than one box.

Groups choose a size range when they sign up: 1 to 25 people, 26 to 75, 76 to 150, or more than 150. The form asks for the names of everyone who will ride, carry a banner or walk, along with a group leader or director, an emergency contact, the age range of the participants and a contact for drop-off at the Griffing Boulevard staging area. Floats are limited to one vehicle plus a trailer unless the city's Special Events Supervisor approves more, and entrants list the width, length and height of the unit.

A few other details are worth knowing before filling it out:

  • Performing along the route or at the main stage at NE 125th Street and NE 8th Avenue needs approval from the Special Events Supervisor.
  • Groups using prerecorded music have to say so on the form and describe the type of music.
  • Each group sends one representative to a pre-parade safety meeting. The city will announce that date later.
  • The form does not list an entry fee.

What it means for spectators

For most North Miami residents, the parade is a free Thanksgiving morning on NE 125th Street before the turkey goes in. Bands and squads from across South Florida are the backbone of the event, and the size of this year's lineup depends on who signs up in the next two weeks. A school band, a dance team or a church youth group that has been meaning to march has until Oct. 30.

The city's 2025 parade guidance shows what spectators can expect on the day itself: police closed and redirected traffic around the route from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m., with NE 125th Street closed at NE 2nd Avenue and hard closures from Griffing Boulevard to NE 12th Avenue. The city has not posted its 2026 closure plan yet, but with the route now ending at NE 12th Avenue, drivers heading through downtown North Miami on Thanksgiving morning should expect a similar footprint.

How to take part

Groups can enter through the Parade Participation Form linked from the city's parade page at northmiamifl.gov. Registration closes Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, or earlier if capacity is reached. Questions go to the North Miami Parks and Recreation Department at 305-895-9840, or the city's main line at 305-893-6511.

Spectators need no ticket. The parade runs Thursday, Nov. 26, from 10 a.m. to noon on NE 125th Street between NE 6th and NE 12th avenues, with the main stage at City Hall, 776 NE 125th Street, North Miami. Centennial coins are on sale at the City Hall cashier's window, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., for $11 to $13 while supplies last.

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