Watch Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Online, Mobile Apps, NBC TV: New Balloons, Floats, Celebrities Kick Off The Holiday Season On Turkey Day
Watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a great way to kick off the holiday season, and you don’t have to travel to New York City to watch the magic unfold as giant character balloons, magnificent floats, and marching bands from across the nation make their way from along the 2.5-mile parade route that concludes near Macy’s Herald Square in Manhattan.
Put the turkey in the oven and settle in to watch the three-hour parade on your local NBC station. However, if you’re traveling and away from a TV, there are a variety of options for viewing the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade on your computer, smartphone, or tablet.
Here’s everything you need to know about the annual parade in New York City hosted by NBC’s Matt Lauer, Al Roker, and Savannah Guthrie, including the start time and viewing options for on TV, live streaming online, or with one of two free apps on your mobile device.
Check out some parade highlights in the video below.
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade kicks off at 9 a.m. ET and will be broadcast live from New York City on your local NBC TV station. If you’re out and about, you don’t have to miss a minute of the three-hour parade, because both NBC and Macy’s have apps that allow you to watch the festivities on your computer, iPhone, iPad, or Android mobile device.
The folks at Macy’s and NBC are making sure you don’t miss a minute of the iconic parade wherever you are on Thursday. It’s a big year, too — Fox News reports that the 90th-year celebration includes several new balloons and the return of some old favorites like Charlie Brown, Felix the Cat, Elf on the Shelf, Hello Kitty, SpongeBob SquarePants, and more.
Head over to NBC’s live feed at NBC.com/live to watch on your computer or web-enabled phone or tablet. Although the live stream is free, you will need to log into your cable TV account (Cox, Verizon FiOS, Comcast, AT&T U-verse, and more) to watch the parade online.
If you don’t have cable, download the free Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade app for your iPhone, iPad, or Android device. The app will stream live video feeds from a variety of viewing spots along the 2.5-mile parade route in New York City. You can also watch the parade online from various vantage points on the free EarthCam Network or on Verizon’s 360 Live on YouTube.
While you wait for the show to start, here is what you can expect when you tune in to watch the 2016 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Nine amazing facts you didn't know about the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: pic.twitter.com/VUTVhVcJfX
— Time Out New York (@TimeOutNewYork) November 22, 2016
Fox News reports that approximately 3.5 million people who will line the streets of Manhattan to watch the parade that features 16 giant character balloons, 24 slightly smaller ballonicles, balloonheads, and trycaloons (balloons on bicycles). Viewers can also expect to see 26 amazing floats, over 1,000 cheerleaders and dancers, and more than 1,000 clowns performing in the Thanksgiving Day parade.
A number of celebrities will appear in this year’s parade, including Dancing with the Stars Season 23 Mirrorball trophy winner and Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez, Tony Bennett, Sandra Lee, Sarah McLachlan, Aloe Blacc, De La Soul, Sandra Lee, America’s Got Talent winner Grace VanderWaal, Sarah McLachlan, and Regina Spektor.
According to NJ.com, the Radio City Rockettes will appear in the parade as well as the cast of several Broadway shows, including Holiday Inn, will perform on 34th Street. And let’s not forget Santa Claus — he will appear at the end of the three-hour parade, something he’s done every year except in 1933 when he appeared at the front of the parade.
According to Accuweather, there may be light rain showers on Thanksgiving, but a major storm is not expected. The parade will go on as scheduled, and anyone who is in NYC to watch the event live will have to dodge “light sprinkles” throughout the morning.
[Featured Image by Andrew Burton/Getty Images]
