Haribo Goldbear balloon inflated for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Haribo Goldbear balloon is inflated on West 81st Street, New York City on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024 for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Happy Thanksgiving week! The 99th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 2025 airs Thursday, Nov. 27, with new balloons, like Derpy Tiger from Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters,” set to float across a 2.5-mile route of New York City, with plenty of viewing spots to take in this year’s performers including Busta Rhymes, Cynthia Erivo, Laney Wilson, and Debbie Gibson.
You can watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV or attend the parade in-person, no tickets required; however, you’ll need to arrive early Thanksgiving morning to secure a sidewalk spot before the parade kicks off at 8:30 a.m. ET. The 2025 parade that winds through the streets of Manhattan will include new floats, celebrating “Stranger Things” PAC-MAN, Goldfish, and LEGO, high school and college marching bands, appearances by icons Darlene Love, Foreigner, and Jewel — and of course the Radio City Rockettes and the feel-good moment when Santa Claus arrives in Herald Square to usher in the Christmas season in New York.
Not sure if you can stream the Macy’s parade, or want to know the best viewing spots, what new balloons or floats are there, and more? Here’s what to know about this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, hosted by Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker.
What time does Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade start? How long is the parade?
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 2025 starts at 8:30 a.m. ET on Thursday, Nov. 27, and ends with the arrival of Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus on his parade float “sleigh” at 12 p.m. (noon) ET.
The Macy’s parade will air again at 2 p.m. ET on Thanksgiving Day.
How to watch Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 2025? Stream, channel, free
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will air live on NBC. You can also stream the Macy’s parade on Peacock. You can watch NBC on several streaming platforms including Fubo (free trial); Sling (offering a limited time offer $1 Day Pass); Hulu + Live TV; YouTube TV, and DirecTV.
You can also watch the parade in Spanish on Telemundo.
Watch the “99th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade” on Peacock
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 2025 will feature five new characters among 34 balloons this year: Buzz Lightyear from Pixar’s “Toy Story,” Derpy Tiger from Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters,” video game icon PAC-MAN, Mario from Nintendo, and DreamWorks’ “Shrek” Onion Carriage.
The sizes of the floats vary, but Buzz Lightyear stretches 4-stories-high (45.5 feet) and as wide as six taxicabs (39 feet). Other balloons include Beagle Scout Snoopy, Bluey, and Noorah, Santa’s magical fox that reflects colors of the Northern Lights.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 2025 lineup
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 2025 lineup includes 34 balloons from Minnie Mouse to Derpy Tiger and Dora the Explorer, plus 28 floats — including new floats from LEGO, POPCITY, LINDOR, Serta’s “Counting Sheep,” a depiction of Holland America Line’s Alaskan cruise, an “Upside Down Invasion: Stranger Things” float and Goldfish’s “Littlest Float” — the tiniest float in Macy’s parade at under 8 inches tall.
The parade lineup also includes 28 performers including Ciara, Cynthia Erivo, Darlene Love, Busta Rhymes, Colbie Caillat, Lil Jon, Meg Donnelly, Luisa Sonza, Lauren Spencer Smith, Matteo Bocelli, Foreigner, Kool & the Gang, Lainey Wilson, Gavin DeGraw, Jewel, and 11 marching bands from universities, colleges and high schools.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade route
Heading into NYC to see the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Nov. 27? The route and viewing areas are along a 2.5-mile route through Manhattan, from the Upper West Side to Midtown.
Do you need Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade tickets? VIP seats
No, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 2025 tickets are not needed to watch the parade in-person. There are several event planning websites that offer “VIP experiences” such as Your VIP Pass, to view the parade from indoor areas along the parade route, such as JW Marriott Essex House, Stella Trattoria, Quality Italian, The Red Flame, Mastro’s Steakhouse, Nusr-Et Steakhouse, and other areas along Herald Square, but you have to act fast to secure tickets.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade best viewing areas
The best views of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 2025 are street-side, such as near Central Park, between 60th and 69th Street, 6th Avenue between 40th and 50th Street, and even from the Winter Village at Bryant Park. Expect a lot of traffic delays and congestion and street closures and arrive early (6 a.m. or even earlier) to claim your area of sidewalk. The parade route bleachers you see on TV are not open to the public, and are reserved for employees, VIPS and guest.
Where not to watch the parade? Columbus Circle is usually reserved for the NYPD and is closed to traffic/public, and Macy’s between 34th and 38th Street. This is reserved for telecast filming and grandstand viewing.
When was the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade?
The first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was on Nov. 27, 1924, to showcase the opening of “The World’s Largest Store” and to start off the busy holiday shopping season, according to History.com. The parade initially wasn’t about Thanksgiving at all and was called the “Macy’s Christmas Parade.
The idea of a store-sponsored Thanksgiving parade actually originated from Philadelphia’s Gimbel Brothers Department Store, who first staged a Thanksgiving parade in 1920. J.L Hudson’s Department Store in Detroit planned a similar event in 1924, like Macy’s.
What was the first balloon in Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade?
The first balloon in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was Felix the Cat, which debuted in 1927. The cartoon cat was 21 feet tall. It was first filled with oxygen, with helium not becoming standard until the following year.
Lori Comstock is a New Jersey-based journalist with the Mid-Atlantic Connect Team.
