Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 2024

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Thanksgiving Doughboy

See it live in NYC, starting right outside of Central Park!

The 98th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will be the largest yet, and will take place on Thursday, November 28, 2024 from 8:30 AM to 12 Noon, EST. It will air on NBC at this time and also simulcast on Peacock, with an encore presentation on NBC at 2 PM, EST.

This year's lineup will feature 22 floats, 17 character balloons, 15 heritage or novelty balloons and more than 700 clowns, according to NBC.

There will also be performances by several music stars along with 11 marching bands and 10 performance groups.

Parade Route

The parade begins on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and ends at Macy’s Herald Square flagship store on 34th Street.

There are 2.5 miles of designated public viewing areas along the parade route in 2024:

• Starting Point: W. 77th Street & Central Park West 
• From Central Park West: Parade marches south down Central Park West for 18 blocks to Columbus Circle.
• From Columbus Circle: Parade turns onto Central Park South and heads east to 6th Avenue.
• From Central Park South & 6th Avenue: Parade turns onto 6th Avenue and heads south to 34th Street.
• 6th Avenue: Parade marches south down 6th Avenue for 25 blocks to 34th Street.
• 34th Street: Parade turns west onto 34th Street to 7th Avenue.
• Ending Point: Macy's Herald Square at 34th Street & 7th Avenue

Best Spots for Watching the Parade

The best place to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is along Central Park West, towards the start of the parade. This will also help to avoid getting caught up in all the madness at the end. 

Arrive early (think 6am!) and find a spot anywhere on the west side of Central Park West between W. 75th Street and W. 61st Street.

Once this portion of the parade has ended, your next best bet for viewing will be anywhere along 6th Avenue, between W. 59th Street and W. 38th Street.

Areas To Avoid: No Public Viewing

The following areas are either restricted for public viewing, or limited by the national television broadcast, so make sure to steer clear of these locations:

• Central Park West & W. 77th Street
• Central Park West between W. 60th & W. 59th Streets
• Central Park South between Columbus Circle & 6th Avenue
• 6th Avenue between W. 38th & W. 34th Streets
• W. 34th Street between 6th & 7th Avenues

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Host

TODAY's Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, and Al Roker will host the 2024 parade.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Performances

See performances from Bishop Briggs, Kylie Cantrall, Chlöe, Dan + Shay, Dasha, Jimmy Fallon, The Roots, Coco Jones, Walker Hayes, Ariana Madix, Joey McIntyre, Idina Menzel, Natti Natasha, T-Pain, Rachel Platten, Lea Salonga, The Temptations, The War and Treaty, Alex Warren, and Sebastián Yatra. 

Dancer Charli D’Amelio will also perform, as well as ballet dancers Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia.

Stars Jonathan Bennett, Liza Colón-Zayas, Tom Kenny, and Ginna Claire Mason will be making appearances, along with members of WNBA Champions New York Liberty with Ellie the Elephant.

Actress Alison Brie will cut the ribbon, kicking off this year's parade festivities.

Also catch performances from the best of Broadway including musicals Death Becomes Her, Hell’s Kitchen, The Outsiders, and also the Radio City Rockettes.

2024's New Parade Floats and Balloons:

Expect to view some never-before-seen balloons and floats that will be making their Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade debut this year! 

Six new Macy's Thanksgiving Parade floats have been confirmed:

• “Wondrous World of Wildlife” by The Bronx Zoo will celebrate the zoo’s animals and beloved exhibits.
• "Magic Meets the Seas" from Disney Cruise Line will feature Captain Mickey Mouse and Captain Minnie Mouse, joined by Disney Animation, Pixar and Marvel characters to highlight the Disney Treasure, which launches in December.
• Candy Cosmos by Haribo
• Dora’s Fantastical Rainforest by Nickelodeon & Paramount
• Pasta Knight by Rao’s Homemade
• Masterfeast by Netflix

Six new Macy's Thanksgiving Parade balloons have also been confirmed:

• Minnie Mouse
• Extraordinary Noorah & The Elf on the Shelf
• Gabby from Gabby's Dollhouse
• Goku from Dragon Ball
• Marshall from PAW Patrol
• Spider-Man will be returning to the parade this year with an all-new balloon, inspired by comic book artist John Romita Sr.'s art.

Last year the 2023 event featured:

• Cher's new holiday hit to kick off the season on 34th Street.
• Seven new character balloons, including Blue Cat & Chugs, Beagle Scout Snoopy and Monkey D. Luffy, and four new floats including Camp Snoopy and Palace of Sweets.
• Jon Batiste, En Vogue, Chicago, Brandy, David Foster and Katherine McPhee, Bell Biv DeVoe and many more!
• The Big Apple Circus, Tiptoe's Winter Guard, the Tap Dancing Christmas Trees, America Cheer and more performers
• Plus 9 marching bands, clown crews, and balloonicles.

Check here for information about the 2024 Thanksgiving Day Parade street closures.