Meet the Puerto Rican behind the 95th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

This year, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade’s executive producer is Will Coss, a South Bronx native of Puerto Rican descent. Coss is responsible for all planning and production of the parade that takes place in New York City on Thursday, November 24th. 

In an interview with  NBC New York, Coss mentions how it is surreal to be days away from the debut of the world’s largest parade he recalls watching as a kid in New York. 

The Nuyorican also talks about his creative urge that flourished as a student at Fordham Prep High School. “As a child, I always had a creative imagination and I wanted to be in the creative arts, however, I come from a blue-collared family in the Bronx and wasn’t sure how to find my way there.” During his time at Fordham Prep, he fell in love with performance and theater production. The play that caught him the theater bug was Godspell. 

Although Coss says he was always more comfortable being behind the scenes in the theatre. He credits his mother for nurturing his creative dreams. Coss reminisces on his high school theatre playbook that has a written note from his mother, “Never stop dreaming. Anything is possible,” Coss said, “Those are the things you need to hear at a young age – to believe that it is possible.”

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 13: Vice President, Executive Producer of Macy’s Branded Entertainment, Will Coss poses in front of the new balloons Macy’s unveils them for the 95th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade® on November 13, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Macy’s, Inc. )

MACY’S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE — Pictured: Tom Turkey Float at the 93rd Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City on Thursday November 28, 2019 — (Photo by: Peter Kramer/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

Coss said he is especially excited for the parade’s Latinx inclusion in the parade this year. Ballet Hispanico is one of the Latinx organizations participating in the parade this year. Ballet Hispanico is a school of dance that champions Latinx culture and dance with community engagement and performance. 

“We are striving every day to create new and unique opportunities to make sure we are all represented,” Coss said. “Our job is to create an experience that gives people an opportunity to smile.”

Other performances will include Broadway features from the Wicked cast, Annie Live!, SIX, and Moulin Rouge! Additional performers include Carrie Underwood, Kristin Chenoweth, and Darren Criss, along with the cast of Peacock’s Girls5eva, Kim Petras, Chris Lane, Andy Grammer, Nelly, Kelly Rowland, and more. 

Photo by: Michelle V. Agins/The New York Times

This year the Thanksgiving Day Parade will be held in person after going virtual due to COVID-19 in 2020. The 95th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade also airs live on NBC, Telemundo, and Peacock from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. in all time zones.