What time does the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade start? Route, live streaming details and more

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade start time and ways to watch. All you need to know!

Published on: Nov 27, 2025, 06:18:13 IST

By Shirin Gupta

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The annual 99th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will march through New York City on Thursday, November 27, 2025, starting at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time (ET). The live broadcast on NBC and streaming on Peacock is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. ET.

Spider-Man balloon inflation during preparations for the 99th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Wednesday (AP)

For people gearing to watch it live, the parade begins on the Upper West Side at West 77th Street & Central Park West, and makes its way south, eventually ending at Macy’s flagship store at Herald Square (34th Street).

For those tuning in from home, the network will also air an encore telecast at 2:00 p.m. ET/PT. So you don’t have to worry if you miss the live start.

Balloon inflation drew a crowd the day before

On Wednesday, November 26, balloon inflation festivities begin around midday in the area of the American Museum of Natural History on the Upper West Side. The public viewing area opened at 12:00 p.m., with the main inflation event running from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., giving families and visitors a chance to see the giant character balloons come to life for the parade.

Given the crowd it drew just for the balloon inflation, those visiting New York for the parade are advised to reach the parade route early. Many viewers begin lining up hours ahead of the 8:30 a.m. start to get good viewing spots. Bike or subway travel is recommended given street closures along Central Park West, Columbus Circle, and 6th Avenue.

99th Thanksgiving Parade

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade marks the 99th iteration of this iconic event in 2025.

The parade will walk with 34 giant balloons, 28 floats, 33 clown groups, and 11 marching bands, among other performance units, as per ABC7.

New balloon characters this year include favourites from pop culture like SpongeBob, Labubu, Spiderman and many more, making their debut.

The parade will obviously feature music and performances from various artists, complementing classics of floats, balloons and marching bands.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shirin Gupta
Shirin Gupta is a content producer with the Hindustan Times. She covers everything between politics, entertainment and sports at the US desk. Shirin got interested in political journalism during her time as a web editor at her college newspaper NCC News in Syracuse when she first started seeing the effects of national politics in life of her fellow colleagues. Shirin has worked on a wide range of fast-moving and developing stories locally when she was at NCC editing accessible reports for the audience. Her current role requires her to track real-time updates, verify information and present balanced coverage across diverse beats. Covering US politics from an international newsroom perspective has further deepened her understanding of how domestic decisions can have far-reaching global consequences. With a keen interest in international affairs, Shirin continues to build her expertise in geopolitics, policy shifts, and cross-border developments. She aims to learn and evolve her reporting in matters of geopolitics and international issues. Outside the newsroom Shirin writes about books and music for her personal blog. She is an avid consumer of pop culture and reveres literature.Read More

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