In 1924, New York City denizens gathered to watch a group of retail store employees with fantastic costumes, decorated floats, and live animals march down Manhattan streets trailed by a costumed Santa Claus — this was the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Since then, the humble march has blossomed to become one of the most steadfast holiday traditions and is watched live by families across America on Thanksgiving day. The parade now includes larger-than-life floats, oversized balloons, and spectacular performances. Like the holiday season this year, the 2020 (94th annual) Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will look a bit different due to COVID…but they’re making it work, just like all of us! Here’s what to expect and how to watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade.
How it’s going to work:
First, let’s take a look at the procedures and precautions that will be in place for this year’s parade. According to the official website, the 202 festivities are fully on! The parade will begin at 9 AM on Thursday, November 26th, and will air live from 34th street. The parade will not take its usual route, opting for a streaming-only approach with no live audience. The famed “performances, gigantic balloons & fabulous floats” will all still be present.
How to Watch:
You can livestream the entire event on your local NBC station. Cord-cutters can stream the event via the NBC universal app, or on Verizon’s official Youtube and Twitter.
The Lineup
Balloons:
- Astronaut Snoopy
- The Boss Baby
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid
- Sinclair’s DINO
- The Elf on the Shelf
- Chase from PAW Patrol
- Pikachu
- Pillsbury Doughboy
- Red Titan from Ryan’s World
- Ronald McDonald
- SpongeBob SquarePants & Gary
- Trolls
Floats:
- 1-2-3 Sesame Street
- Blue’s Clues & You!
- The Brick-Changer
- Big Turkey Spectacular
- Central Park
- Christmas Cheer is Near
- Christmas in Town Square
- Cornucopia
- Cruising Cupcakes
- Deck the Halls
- Everyone’s Favorite Bake Shop
- Fantasy Chocolate Factory
- Harvest in the Valley
- Heartwarming Holiday Countdown
- Home Sweet Home
- Mount Rushmore’s American Pride
- Her Future is STEM-sational
- Patriotic Top Hat
- Rexy in the City
- Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- Santa’s Sleigh
- Snoopy’s Doghouse
- Splashin Safari Adventure
- Tom Turkey
- Tom & Jerry’s Tourist Trap
- Toy House of Marvelous Milestones
- Winning Winter Together
Stars:
- Charlie Brown
- Lauren Alaina
- Jimmie Allen and Noah Cyrus
- Ally Brooke
- Sofia Carson
- CNCO
- Karol G
- Christopher Jackson
- The Cast and Muppets of Sesame Street
- Tori Kelly
- Patti Labelle
- Ella Mai
- Miss America 2020 Camille Schrier
- Leslie Odom Jr.
- Keke Palmer
- Dolly Parton
- Pentatonix
- Bebe Rexha
- Jordin Sparks
- Sebastián Yatra
- Brett Young
- Ronald McDonald
- Chippy and Snowflake
- Macy’s Singing Christmas Tree Choir
- Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus
Performances:
- Jimmy Fallon and The Roots
- Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations
- Mean Girls
- Hamilton
- Jagged Little Pill
- The Radio City Rockettes
Featured Image Credit: Pixabay