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The official-unofficial kick-off of the holiday season, aka the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, is returning in full force this year. After 2020’s crowd-less experience, thousands of parade-goers are expected to line the streets of Manhattan on Thursday, Nov. 25, while millions more will tune in from across the country to watch the festivities from their couches.
Personally, my new favorite Thanksgiving tradition (which is about to be six years strong) is the annual reunion between Jamal Hinton and his “Thanksgiving grandma.” To stick to the classic Thanksgiving routine, here’s everything you need to know to tune into the 95th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
What to expect from the 95th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
After everything that 2020 took from us, the 2021 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is gearing up to be a proper celebration. The three-hour broadcast will be hosted by Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, and Al Roker. There’s a long list of celebrity performers, including Kim Petras, Kristin Chenoweth, Nelly, Carrie Underwood, and more. (Apparently there will also be more than 800 clowns, which I’m told is a selling point and not a deterrent).
Added to the lineup of 15 giant character balloons and 28 floats are newcomers Ada Twist from Netflix’s Ada Twist, Scientist and Grogu from Star Wars and The Mandalorian. That’s right–get ready to behold the glory of the giant flying Baby Yoda.
Check out the official Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade site to easily access this year’s route, safety info, and general parade 101.
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When to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
The 95th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will air from 9 a.m. to noon ET on Thursday, Nov. 25. If you’re busy in the kitchen during the morning, don’t fret–the parade will be rebroadcast from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
For Spanish-speaking viewers, the event will be simulcast on Telemundo with hosts Ana Jurka and Carlos Adyan, plus Freddy Lomelí reporting live from Sixth Avenue.
Where to watch to Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV
If you have cable, you can watch the broadcast live on NBC, who is the official broadcaster of the parade. CBS will also show the parade on their network.
How to stream the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
There are a few ways to stream the parade. You can livestream the parade on NBC’s website or on the NBC app, but you’ll need a TV provider and user login to get access. This year, the parade will also be live on NBCUniversal’s new-ish streaming service, Peacock.
You can also use CBS’s streaming service Paramount+ to watch your local CBS channel, though you’ll need a premium subscription.
Another hack from Glamour is to sign up for a free trial of services like Hulu+ Live TV, which adds a live-TV feature to your Hulu account. You can get a seven-day Hulu+ Live free trial before it starts to charge you for the service. Similarly, YouTube TV provides a free trial to new subscribers (so if you did this last Thanksgiving, someone new needs to offer up their registration info). Make sure to set a reminder to cancel your free trials before they start to remind you via bank statement.
Last year NBC partnered with Verizon to stream the parade for free on YouTube. NBC hasn’t confirmed if that will happen again for 2021, so stay tuned in case that option becomes available.
What you should do after the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Here’s how to actually enjoy Thanksgiving, even if you’re the one cooking. Oh, and don’t forget the one thing you should never do when carving your turkey. Enjoy.
