2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade: Start time, how to watch

Happy Thanksgiving Day! Kick off the day with the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which takes place in New York City, beginning on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and ending at Macy’s flagship store at Herald Square.
While the parade tradition itself began 100 years ago in 1924, the parade is not celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, as it did not take place in 1942, 1943 and 1944 due to World War II, according to Macy’s. During that time, materials that would have been used in the celebration, including rubber, were dedicated to war efforts.
This year’s lineup is slated to showcase 22 floats, 17 character balloons, 15 heritage or novelty balloons and more than 700 clowns, according to NBC, which broadcasts the event. The event will also feature performances by several music stars along with 11 marching bands and 10 performance groups, with renowned choreographer Shay Latukolan choreographing dance performances for Tom Turkey and Santa Claus, and three featured floats.
“The 98th Macy’s Parade lineup ensures there will be something for everyone during this iconic Thanksgiving Day celebration,” Macy’s says about the parade.
Here’s what you need to know about this year’s parade including where to watch and which balloons to look out for.
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The 2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. ET on Thursday, Nov. 28. The parade will take place rain or shine.
The 2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will be telecast on NBC from 8:30 a.m. to noon in all time zones on Thursday, Nov. 28. The event will also simulstream on Peacock and Fubo subscribers will also be able to watch it. An encore on NBC will follow at 2 p.m. ET/PT.
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Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker of NBC’s “Today” show will return as telecast hosts.
To create a more inclusive experience for visually impaired viewers, NBC will present the full broadcast with live audio description on the Secondary Audio Program channel (SAP), provided by Descriptive Video Works. The broadcast will be available with additional audio narration describing the visuals of the Parade, according to NBC.
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The 2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will run for 3 ½ hours between 8:30 a.m. to noon.
While the annual parade will feature 17 character balloons and 15 heritage or novelty balloons, this year’s edition will debut six new featured balloons, including:
The 60-foot Minnie Mouse will join Mickey Mouse, whose balloon debut was in 1934, Pluto (1934), Donald Duck (1935) and Goofy (1992).
Macy’s is “super excited about bringing Minnie to life,” Will Coss, executive producer of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, told USA TODAY last month. “It has been a Macy’s Studios dream for quite some time, and the folks here on my team who’ve worked on the design, actually bringing that character to life as a balloon in the sky, couldn’t be more excited about it.”
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Six new floats will also debut during the 2024 parade including:
This year’s parade will also feature the first-ever scented float. Balsam Hill, which offers premium artificial Christmas trees, is partnering with NEST to scent its float with NEST’s Holiday fragrance.
The following stars are listed to perform at this year’s Thanksgiving Day Parade:
Contributing: Felecia Wellington Radel and KiMi Robinson
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Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.This article was updated to add a new video.