The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is back for its 97th year. The event will once again be hosted by Today show anchors Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, and Al Roker. But unlike past years, the parade is set to start at 8:30 a.m. ET, a half-hour earlier than usual, in order to include an extra 30 minutes of star-studded activities.
Headlining this year’s parade is legendary singer Cher, who will be performing when the parade reaches its destination in front of Macy’s Herald Square. Jazz musician and five-time Grammy winner Jon Batiste will kick things off. Other performers include En Vogue, K-pop’s Enhypen, country singer Jessie James Decker, the vocal group Pentatonix, and from the new Broadway show Gutenberg! The Musical!, Josh Gad (Frozen) and Andrew Rannells. And of course, the Radio City Rockettes will be kicking it up just as they’ve done every year since 1957.
Of the 25 giant high-flying balloons this year, there are 6 new ones, including a Beagle Scout Snoopy and Po from Kung Fu Panda. Other highlights: 31 impressive floats, 11 marching bands, 6 self-powered “balloonicles,” and 29 clown crews for a total of 700, or more than enough clowns to see in one lifetime.
Spectators lining the 2.5-mile parade route will have to get up bright and early to snag a good viewing spot. Organizers are recommending a 6 a.m. arrival time, given that there’s never a crowd shortage (aside from the COVID years, when the parade was more of a masked and socially distanced wave-a-thon). This year, like the pre-pandemic normal, more than 3.5 million people are expected to turn out.
For those watching from home, you’ll be joining about 50 million TV viewers. Fortunately, there is no shortage of ways to watch. The parade will be broadcast on NBC and livestream on Peacock, Hulu Live, Sling TV, DirecTV Stream, and YouTube TV.
Whether you tune into the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for the stars, the musical performances, to see if any balloons get tangled around a light pole, or all of the above, it is a great holiday kick-off tradition—especially perched on the couch, sipping a cup of something pumpkin-spiced. For those running a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning instead, more power to you. But we know where we’ll be!
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