The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade returns on Thursday for its 99th year, featuring beloved floats, balloons, and live performances through the streets of Manhattan and on televisions across the country.
This year the parade will include more than 5,000 volunteers, 34 balloons, 28 floats, 11 marching bands, and a series of musical performances by stars like Cynthia Erivo and Darlene Love.
Debuting as the Macy’s Christmas Parade in 1924, the first march to its flagship 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 include giant Macy’s stars, Minnie Mouse, and Spider-Man.
“The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade brings families together like nothing else on television and remains a beloved tradition for millions,” said Jen Neal, executive vice president of Live Events and Specials at NBCUniversal Entertainment. “We’re looking forward to working with [Macy’s] to produce a spectacular parade that we know so many people love and value.”
Here’s how to watch and what to expect.
When and where will it be?
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-winning star of Wicked and Wicked: For Good — will kick off the festivities with a “show-stopping opening number,” according to NBC.
The parade will start at West 77th Street and Central Park West in New York, traveling a 2.5-mile route to its endpoint at Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square.
For the best views, in-person viewers in New York can watch from West 59th to West 38th streets. Here’s an interactive map with recommended viewing spots and areas to avoid.
Note: You might want to set an early alarm. Viewers typically start lining up around 6 a.m.
How can I watch?
NBC and Peacock will broadcast the parade live on Thursday morning, with an encore on NBC at 2 p.m. ET/PT.
Telemundo will also air a simultaneous Spanish-language version starting at 8:30, hosted by Andrea Meza, Aleyda Ortiz, and Clovis Nienow.
For blind and low-vision viewers, a full NBC broadcast of the parade will be available on the SAP (Secondary Audio Program) channel.
Also, don’t forget the National Dog Show, which airs right after the parade on NBC at 12 p.m.
Who is hosting?
Former NBC Today 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 raises the bar.”
“There are so many surprises and delights” for audiences to expect this year, Kotb says. Like many others, she’s excited to cover the parade’s new elements but also appreciates what hasn’t changed.
“What I love so much about [the parade] is the comfort in knowing that things don’t always change so drastically.” On Thanksgiving morning, she says, “you feel that warm blanket feeling” and “all those memories that come with it” from the parade and its annual traditions.
Who is performing?
Viewers can expect a wide variety of entertainment performing 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 megahit KPop Demon Hunters — will perform, along with Darlene Love, Ciara, Colbie Caillat, Lil Jon, and Busta Rhymes; to name just a few.
Broadway productions scheduled to perform include Buena Vista Social Club, Just in Time, and Ragtime. The Rockettes will also celebrate their 100th anniversary with a special performance full of high kicks, no doubt.
As usual, Santa Claus and his reindeer-pulled sleigh will close out the parade to kick off the holiday season.
And the balloons?
Ahead of the parade’s 100th anniversary in 2026, Macy’s Studios will reintroduce historical balloon elements from early parades this year, including Rainbow and Greybow Trouts, the Happy Hippo, and Freida the Dachshund.
Also joining the lineup of 32 balloons are some newcomers: Buzz Lightyear, PAC-MAN, Shrek’s Onion Carriage, and Mario.
Family favorites include Snoopy, SpongeBob SquarePants, 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 a behind-the-scenes look at the floats, balloons, and bands before they march through the streets of New York on Thanksgiving.
Source: npr.org by Ivy Buck