September 3, 2015 - Diving dogs compete on the Plaza
On a sunny Thursday morning, the Plaza went to completely to the dogs (literally). A giant pool full of water was erected to showcase the diving skills of a group of canines. The goal? To find out which pup could jump the furthest. In the end, a German Shepard named Jagger took home the trophy for his impressive jump of 32.3 feet. It was totally paws-some.
June 7, 2016 - Savannah surprises the hosts with a pregnancy announcement
Throughout the years, fans have visited the Plaza to make pregnancy announcements and share gender reveals on live TV. But one of the memorable came from TODAY’s own Savannah Guthrie. During a segment of random questions, Savannah read a note that said, “Are you pregnant?” To which she replied, “Well, yeah, I am pregnant!” There were congratulations all around in Studio 1A, and six months later, her second child, Charley, was born.
July 22, 2016 - Celine Dion gives a tearful and triumphant performance
Celine Dion is in a class all her own. Throughout the years, the Canadian-born singer has brought her vocal stylings to the Plaza, performing time and again for her many fans. However, it was in 2016, seven months after losing her beloved husband, René Angélil, the singer returned for a triumphant concert, reducing the crowd to tears with her emotional performance of “Because You Loved Me” and showing strength of her indomitable spirit.
August 23, 2016 - The U.S. Gymnastics Team brings home the Gold
It was a banner year for the U.S. women’s gymnastics team at the Rio Summer Olympic games in 2016. Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, Laurie Hernandez, Madison Kocian and Gabby Douglas brought home a record-breaking nine medals (including four Gold) from the competition and shared their victory with the TODAY team on the Plaza.
July 6, 2017 - Ed Sheeran puts on an Independence Day-inspired show
In 2017, Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” was the No. 1 single in 30 countries, including the U.S. The singer-songwriter performed his big hit and other favorites off his record-breaking album “Divide” for a crowd of enthusiastic fans on the Plaza.
October 31, 2018 - The Plaza goes crazy with the '80s
Every Halloween on the Plaza is amazing, but in 2018, the spooky celebration took things to a whole new level with an ‘80s throwback that was one for the history books. The TODAY hosts were transformed into ‘80s icons Tina Turner (Sheinelle Jones), Cyndi Lauper (Savannah Guthrie), Madonna (Kathie Lee Gifford), Bruce Springsteen (Carson Daly) and the OG Crocodile Rocker, Elton John (Hoda Kotb). Great Scott! Let’s not forget Al Roker as Doc and Dylan Dryer as Marty McFly, Jenna Bush Hager and Peter Alexander as Maverick and Goose, Craig Melvin as Prince Akeem and Willie Geist as Ferris Bueller. Anyone? Anyone?
May 6, 2019 - Jennifer Lopez gets everyone “on the floor”
On a sunny Monday in May, Jennifer Lopez took over the Plaza, putting on a show like only J. Lo can. Kicking off the 2019 summer concert series sitting on a giant black and white horse, the multifaceted artist performed both new hits and old, including the fan-favorite “On the Floor.” Beyond singing and dancing up a storm, the pop phenom changed costumes four times, leaving fans memorized in the wake of her stunning concert.
March 17, 2020 - COVID comes to TODAY
In the early days of COVID-19, the U.S. was still grappling with the possible impact of a then-unknown coronavirus. Suffering from a sore throat and runny nose, TODAY’s Savannah Guthrie, co-anchored the show from her basem*nt, where she was isolating out of an abundance of caution. Hoda Kotb carried on in Studio 1A, reporting just a few days later that all 40 million Californians had been ordered to shelter in place. Soon after, the entire world would essentially shut down in response to the unprecedented pandemic.
April 7, 2021 - The TODAY co-hosts receive COVID vaccinations
With hope in sight, the TODAY team socially-distanced on the Plaza with each receiving their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on live television. Savannah Guthrie, Craig Melvin, Sheinelle Jones, Dylan Dreyer and Jenna Bush Hager all got their shot with Savannah saying, “I feel so grateful, I just think about (how) this is something that has not been done in all of human history, a vaccine in a year.”
