Thanksgiving is a holiday for food, family and a monstrous Snoopy balloon parading towards Macy’s Herald Square. That’s right, it’s almost time for the 98th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade! The 2024 Macy’s Parade kicks off Thursday at 8:30 a.m. ET on NBC. This year’s parade will feature 32 floats, 22 balloons and performances by Jennifer Hudson, Ariana Madix, Idina Menzel, Kylie Minogue, T-Pain, Charli D’Amelio and Broadway shows Death becomes her, Hell’s Kitchen And The outsiders. Wicked Star Cynthia Erivo will also appear in this year’s parade, but whether we’ll hear her sing alongside her fellow Elphaba actress has yet to be revealed.
So before you sit down with the family for your Turkey dinner and get ready to do some Black Friday shopping, make sure you check out the 2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch the parade this year.
When is the 2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade?
As the name suggests, the 2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will be held on Thanksgiving Day. The parade kicks off on Thursday, November 28 at 8:30am ET/5:30pm PT.
How long is the Macy’s Parade?
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade lasts approximately 3.5 hours, ending at 12pm ET/9am PT before repeating in an encore on NBC at 2pm ET.
What channel will air the 2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade?
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade will air on NBC and stream on Peacock on Thanksgiving Day from 8:30 a.m. to noon in all time zones. An encore broadcast of the parade also begins at 2 p.m. on NBC. If you have access to live TV, you can get NBC over the air for free. If not, here’s what we recommend for viewing the Thanksgiving Day Parade.
With an ad-supported Peacock subscription, you can stream live sports and events broadcast on NBC, including Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the 2024 NFL season on NBC (including one Thanksgiving Day game).
Plus, you’ll get access to thousands of hours of shows and movies, including beloved sitcoms like Parks and recreation And The office, every Bravo show and Hallmark holiday movie, and even recent theatrical releases like Despicable me 4 And Twisters.
Now, ahead of Black Friday, Peacock is offering new subscribers an annual subscription for just $20, or a monthly subscription for $1.99 per month for six months.
For $14 per month ($140 per year), you can upgrade to an ad-free subscription, which includes live access to your local NBC affiliate (not just during select sports and events) and the ability to download select titles for offline viewing.
$1.99/month at Peacock
Who will perform in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade?
Bishop Briggs, Kylie Cantrall, Chlöe, Dan + Shay, Dasha, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon host Jimmy Fallon and the show’s house band, The Roots, Jennifer Hudson, Coco Jones, Walker Hayes, Ariana Madix, Joey McIntyre, Idina Menzel, Kylie Minogue, Natti Natasha, T-Pain, Rachel Platten, Lea Salonga, The Temptations, The War and Treaty, Alex Warren and Sebastián Yatra. Dancers Charli D’Amelio, Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia will also perform.
Actress Alison Brie will cut the ribbon this year, Cynthia Erivo and Cole Escola will perform, and members of the WNBA’s New York Liberty (and Ellie the Elephant) will be in this year’s parade.
The parade will feature Broadway performances by Death becomes her, Hell’s Kitchen And The outsiders.
What floats will be in the Macy’s parade this Thanksgiving?
There will be 22 floats in this year’s Macy’s parade, 17 character balloons and 15 heritage and novelty balloons.
2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade new floats
Six new floats will debut during this year’s parade.
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Dora’s Fantastic Rainforest by Nickelodeon & Paramount
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Disney Cruise Line’s Magic Meets the Seas
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Pasta Knight from Rao’s Homemade
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Wonderful world of wildlife by Bronx Zoo.
2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade Balloons
In 2024, six new balloons will make their debut in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade:
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Extraordinary Noorah & The Elf on the Shelf
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Gabby from Gabby’s dollhouse
Who is organizing the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade this year?
Today Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker from The Today Show will again host NBC’s broadcast of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade this year. It could be Hoda’s last year hosting the show, as the journalist stepped away from the long-running show earlier this year.
Ways to watch the 2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for free:
Want to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thanksgiving Football and more on live TV for free this holiday season? Here are a few platforms that offer free trials around this time of year.