How to watch and who’s performing : NPR

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will return on Thursday for its 99th year, featuring beloved floats, balloons and live performances along the streets of Manhattan and on televisions nationwide.

This year’s parade will include more than 5,000 volunteers, 34 balloons, 28 floats, 11 marching bands, and a host of musical performances by stars like Cynthia Erivo and Darlene Love.

Debuting as the Macy’s Christmas Parade in 1924, the first march to its flagship store in Herald Square featured live animals from the Central Park Zoo, in an effort to boost the department store’s holiday sales.

Viewers won’t see live animals this year; the parade stopped including them in 1927 due to safety concerns. Organizers replaced real lions and tigers (and bears, oh my!) with the now-iconic oversized balloons. This year’s parade will include oversized Macy’s stars, Minnie Mouse, and Spiderman.

“The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade brings families together like nothing else on television and remains a beloved tradition for millions,” said Jen Neal, executive vice president of Live Events and Specials for NBCUniversal Entertainment. “We look forward to working with [Macy’s] to produce a spectacular parade that we know so many people love and cherish.”

Here’s how to watch, and what to watch for.

When and where is it?

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will kick off at 8:30 a.m. in all time zones on Thursday, Nov. 27.

Cynthia Erivo — the Tony, Emmy, and Grammy award-winning star of Wicked and Wicked: For Good — will commence the festivities with a “show-stopping opening number,” according to NBC.

The parade will begin on West 77th Street and Central Park West in New York City, taking a 2.5-mile journey towards its endpoint at Macy’s Herald Square flagship.

For the best views, live spectators in New York can watch from West 59th to West 38th streets. Here’s an interactive map featuring recommended viewing points and areas to avoid.

Heads up: you might want to set an early alarm. Spectators typically begin to line up around 6 a.m.

How can I watch?

NBC and Peacock will stream the parade live Thursday morning, with an encore airing on NBC at 2 p.m. Telemundo will also broadcast a Spanish-language simulcast starting at 8:30 a.m., hosted by Andrea Meza, Aleyda Ortiz, and Clovis Nienow. For blind and visually impaired viewers, a full NBC broadcast of the parade will be available on the SAP (Secondary Audio Program) channel.

Also, remember to tune in to the National Dog Show, airing immediately after the parade on NBC at 12 p.m.

Former NBC Today host Hoda Kotb will co-host the parade for the eighth time, alongside Savannah Guthrie and Al Roker. Kotb expressed her excitement about returning to NBC, stating, “It just feels like home.” She mentioned that Macy’s always manages to elevate the parade experience every year.

A diverse range of performers will entertain the audience during the parade, including EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REI AMI, Darlene Love, Ciara, Colbie Caillat, Lil Jon, and Busta Rhymes. Broadway productions like Buena Vista Social Club, Just in Time, and Ragtime will also showcase their talent. The Rockettes will commemorate their 100th anniversary with a special performance.

In anticipation of the parade’s 100th anniversary in 2026, Macy’s Studios will reintroduce historic balloon elements this year, such as Rainbow and Greybow Trouts, the Happy Hippo, and Freida the Dachshund. New additions to the balloon lineup include Buzz Lightyear, PAC-MAN, Shrek’s Onion Carriage, and Mario, alongside favorites like Snoopy, SpongeBob SquarePants, the Pillsbury Doughboy, and Bluey.

If you can’t wait for Thanksgiving, NBC and Peacock will air the primetime special “Countdown to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade” at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 26. The special will offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the parade’s floats, balloons, and bands before they grace the streets of New York on Thanksgiving Day. following sentence:

“The dog ran quickly after the ball.”

Rewritten sentence: The ball was chased rapidly by the dog.