Find out all about the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the New York Thanksgiving Day Parade. Routes, schedules, what to see and how to enjoy it.
The New York Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place on Thanksgiving Thursday morning. In this year 2024, it will take place on November 28, from 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM.
What to expect at this parade? Mainly giant balloon figures, I have never seen anything like this, it is something spectacular as you can see in the gallery of this post. There are certain balloons that are repeated often, but there are others that vary, as they depend on promotions to movies, shows, stores, brands, etc. The year I went, for example, they had balloons of Dragon Ball (Goku), Pokemon (Pikachu), the premiere of Baby Boss, so there were balloons of him, also of the Minions for their movie, etc.
Also, there are musical bands and people with flags, doing shows during the parade. There was also Jimmy Fallon on one of the floats.
To get a front row seat, I recommend you to go at least 3 hours in advance. It may seem exaggerated, but it is not, keep in mind that there are areas of the tour that are also occupied by televisions. When I lived in New York, I arrived at Central Park at about 5:50 AM and only found a tiny space to get in the front row. The local people, aware of this, are prepared with hot drinks and blankets, I recommend you to bring them and also to have something to entertain you, because I was very cold while waiting.
Here you can see everything that will happen in the year 2024. The 98th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (2024) | Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Wiki | Fandom
As for the tour, it starts next to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET) and ends at Macy’s Herald Square Mall. It ends with a musical performance usually at Macy’s, the year I went there Mariah Carey performed with her legendary All I Want for Christmas Is You. The square has all the televisions, so finding a place to watch the performance is also complicated. There are people who stay in the square and do without seeing the parade and other people who see the parade and go to the square, but I ended up saturated as I was going to the square of so many people and decided not to go.
As for the images you can enjoy of the parade, I share with you the photos I had the opportunity to take:
I bring you a video of another year’s parade in case you want to watch it and decide if it’s worth going or hire NBC or Peacock to watch it. Personally, if you go to New York, even if it’s cold and the wait is long, I think it’s worth it.
If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Best regards!