The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade returns this Thursday for its 99th edition, featuring beloved floats, balloons, and live performances through the streets of Manhattan and on television broadcasts across the country.
This year’s parade will feature more than 5,000 volunteers, 34 balloons, 28 floats, 11 marching bands, and musical performances by stars like Cynthia Erivo and Darlene Love.
Debuting as the Macy’s Christmas Parade in 1924, the first parade to the chain’s main store in Herald Square featured live animals from the Central Park Zoo, in an effort to boost the department store’s end-of-year sales.
Viewers won’t see live animals this year; the parade stopped including them in 1927 due to safety concerns. Organizers replaced real lions and tigers (and bears, oh my!) with the now-iconic giant balloons. This year’s parade will feature giant Macy’s stars, Minnie Mouse, and Spider-Man.
“The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade brings families together like no other program on television and continues to be a cherished tradition for millions,” said Jen Neal, executive vice president of Live Events and Specials at NBCUniversal Entertainment. “We’re excited to work with [Macy’s] to produce a spectacular parade that we know so many people love and appreciate.”
Here’s how to watch and what to expect.
When and where?
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will begin at 8:30 a.m. across all time zones on Thursday, November 27.
Cynthia Erivo — the Tony, Emmy, and Grammy Award-winning star of Wicked and Wicked: For Good — will kick off the festivities with a “breathtaking opening number,” according to NBC.
The parade will start at West 77th Street and Central Park West in New York, traveling 4 km to its endpoint at Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square.
For the best seats, viewers in New York can watch from the intersection of West 59th to West 38th streets.
Note: It might be a good idea to set an earlier alarm. Viewers usually start gathering around 6 a.m.
How to watch?
NBC and Peacock will broadcast the parade live on Thursday morning, with a replay on NBC at 2 p.m. (Eastern Time).
Telemundo will also air a simultaneous Spanish-language broadcast starting at 8:30 a.m., hosted by Andrea Meza, Aleyda Ortiz, and Clovis Nienow.
For blind and visually impaired individuals, the full NBC parade broadcast will be available on the SAP (Secondary Audio Program) channel.
Also, don’t forget the National Dog Show, which will air right after the parade on NBC at noon.
Who will host?
Former NBC Today show host Hoda Kotb will return to co-host the parade for the eighth time, alongside Savannah Guthrie and Al Roker.
“It’s like coming home,” Kotb told NPR about her return to NBC. “Every year, Macy’s outdoes itself.”
“There are so many surprises and delights” for the audience to look forward to this year, Kotb says. Like many others, she’s excited to cover the parade’s novelties, but she also values what stays the same.
“What I love most about the parade is the comforting feeling of knowing that things don’t always change drastically.” On Thanksgiving morning, she says, “you have that cozy feeling” and “all the memories that come with it” from the parade and its annual traditions.
Who will perform?
The audience can expect a wide variety of attractions in front of Macy’s during the parade.
Following Cynthia Erivo’s opening performance, EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and REI AMI — the singing trio behind Netflix’s K-pop megahit Demon Hunters — will perform, along with Darlene Love, Ciara, Colbie Caillat, Lil Jon, and Busta Rhymes, among others.
Confirmed Broadway productions include Buena Vista Social Club, Just in Time, and Ragtime. The Rockettes will also celebrate their centennial with a special, high-energy performance.
As usual, Santa Claus and his reindeer-pulled sleigh will close out the parade, kicking off the holiday season.
And the balloons?
In preparation for the parade’s centennial in 2026, Macy’s Studios will reintroduce historical elements from early balloons from previous editions, including the Rainbow Trout and Gray Trout, the Happy Hippo, and Freida the Dachshund.
Additionally, the list of 32 balloons will include some new additions: Buzz Lightyear, PAC-MAN, Shrek’s Onion Carriage, and Mario.
Among the returning favorites are Snoopy, SpongeBob, the Pillsbury Doughboy, and Bluey.
Can’t wait until Thanksgiving?
NBC and Peacock will air the primetime special “Countdown to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade” at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, November 26.
Broadcast live from the parade’s starting point, the special will offer an exclusive look at the floats, balloons, and bands before they hit the streets of New York on Thanksgiving.
Source: npr.org by Ivy Buck