Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 2024: How to Watch and Who’s Performing

Thanksgiving is often filled with turkey dinners, family time, football and, of course, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

This year is the 98th edition and NBC said it will be the “largest yet.”

Here are the details for you to enjoy the Thanksgiving tradition.

How to watch and stream the parade

Viewers can tune into the parade on NBC or stream on Peacock and Fubo at 8:30 a.m. EST on November 28. A rerun will play on NBC at 2 p.m.

What time does the parade begin?

The parade is televised nationally, rain or shine, from 8:30 a.m. to noon EST in New York City.

Who’s performing at the parade?

NBC has announced a variety of stars who will appear this year.

Jennifer Hudson, who dropped a holiday album in October, will perform outside of the Herald Square Macy’s store.

Australian singer Kylie Minogue and American actor and singer Billy Porter will also perform at the same location.

There are many big names in the parade this year, such as Chlöe, Bishop Briggs, Joey McIntyre, Walker Hayes, Dan + Shay, Kylie Cantrall, Jimmy Fallon & The Roots as well as Ariana Madix, according to a press release this month.

Other celebrities include Idina Menzel, Natti Natasha, T-Pain, Rachel Platten, Lea Salonga, The Temptations, The War and Treaty, Alex Warren, Sebastián Yatra, Jonathan Bennett, Charli D’Amelio, Liza Colón-Zayas, Tom Kenny and Ginna Claire Mason.

There are also new balloons this year, with Minnie Mouse, Spider-Man and The Elf on the Shelf making appearances.

“The 98th Macy’s Parade lineup will be the largest yet with more than 5,000 volunteers, 17 featured character balloons, 22 floats, 15 heritage and novelty balloons, more than 700 clowns, 11 marching bands, 10 performance groups and music’s biggest stars, all welcoming Santa Claus and the holidays,” the statement reads.

A full lineup of the bands, balloons and celebrity appearances can be found on the Macy’s website.

Where is the parade?

The parade begins at West 77th Street and Central Park West at 8:30 a.m. EST. There is no public viewing at that location.

Floats and marchers continue along Central Park. Early risers can start arriving at 6 a.m. on the west side of Central Park West from West 75th to West 61st streets.

The parade turns onto Central Park South at Columbus Circle, and then turns again to head onto 6th Avenue.

Macy’s suggests attendees go to 6th Avenue between West 59th and West 38th streets for “great views.”

People should avoid watching on 6th Avenue between West 34th and West 38th streets as well as on West 34th Street between 6th and 7th avenues. The national television broadcast is set up there, limiting viewing ability.

Finally, the parade stops in front of Macy’s Herald Square. There is no public viewing at that location either.

Parade controversies explained

The 2023 Macy’s Day Parade faced controversy as a conservative group called for a boycott over the event’s inclusion of LGBTQ+ performers. The group One Million Moms launched a petition calling for the boycott over the inclusion of two non-binary performers.

“Justin David Sullivan, who personally identifies as non-binary, will be featured in the & Juliet parade performance. On stage in the musical, Sullivan plays the role of “May,” a non-binary friend of Juliet,” One Million Moms said in a statement. “Alex Newell, a biological male who also identifies as non-binary, won a Tony Award this year for his starring performance in Shucked, playing the female role of Lulu.”

The petition had received more than 39,000 signatures as of the Tuesday before Thanksgiving last year.

In 2018, Linda Harvey, creator of the Mission America conservative organization, called for a boycott after two females kissed on TV during the parade.