That popular annual attraction that goes hand-in-hand with Thanksgiving celebrations is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
The event brings dazzling and colorful balloons and floats, along with entertainers, celebrities, marching bands, and even Santa Claus himself to the streets of New York City.
Many people will be gathered together for their holiday and will be viewing the event, so here are all the details for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day 2019 parade start time, channel, and live viewing options.
Macy’s Thanksgiving parade going strong for 95 years
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has been going strong for well over nine decades and it’s nearing a century for its historic run.
While the 2019 version has some weather concerns with regards to high winds disrupting or canceling the balloons, the past 95 years of celebration have been full of fun and entertainment.
The first-ever Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade took place in New York back in 1924. It didn’t feature quite the grand presentation that the recent versions offer.
There were Macy’s store employees dressed in costumes, along with floats, bands, and borrowed Central Park Zoo animals.
Over the years, it’s grown to include so much more including the vivid and large balloons that hover above the NYC parade route and a good number of celebrity performers on floats.
We’re getting pumped up for #MacysParade with help from #YayoiKusama, @netflix, @SpongeBob, & @smokey_bear! Catch all the fun & excitement tomorrow at 9am on @nbc, all time zones. https://t.co/Yw8c2AfOPL pic.twitter.com/gM6R6XTRph
— Macy's (@Macys) November 27, 2019
According to Conde Nest’s report, balloons may be grounded this year due to windy conditions, which would be disappointing. Spectator and area workers’ safety is the biggest concern if winds become too much.
Back in 1997, high winds caused the Cat in the Hat balloon to blow off course, injuring four people in the process. An official call will be made on Thursday morning to decide if balloons still fly above the streets or if it will mainly be a ground parade this year.
That said, the report indicates there will be 26 total floats as well as 1,200 cheerleaders and dancers. In addition, 11 marching bands and over 1,000 clowns will be on the streets.
There’s also a number of celebrities expected to appear including Jimmy Fallon and The Roots, Black Eyed Peas, Celine Dion, Billy Porter, and Idina Menzel.
Santa Claus will also make his annual stop by the Macy’s parade ahead of Christmas 2019.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day 2019 parade start time, viewing options
The latest installment of the annual Thanksgiving Day parade arrives at 9 a.m. Eastern Time and ends at noon. Viewers will be able to watch it take place live on television via NBC with Savannah Guthrie hosting.
It wasn’t initially known if she’d be able to host this year following a recent eye injury.
According to PEOPLE, Guthrie suffered the eye injury at the hands of her 2-year-old son but will still appear for the show. In a playtime accident, her son threw a toy truck and it ended up hitting Guthrie in the eye, tearing her retina.
That caused the Today anchor to temporarily lose sight.
However, she’ll be on the scene to host along with her Today colleagues Al Roker and Hoda Kotb as they present the sights and sounds to the viewers.
In addition to TV coverage, there are also live stream online options. There’s a free 360-degree live stream presentation of the parade available thanks to Verizon. It will feature exclusive views and coverage including holograms and 5G experiences along with other surprises.
Here’s the official video with the live stream beginning at 9 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday morning.
Cable and satellite customers who may not have a television available can watch live streaming coverage of the parade by logging into NBC.com/live or through the compatible NBC apps for iOS and Android.
In addition, some customers who have live streaming services such as Sling TV, Hulu with Live TV, and YouTube TV may have access to the live stream through NBC on their service. It’s best to check with each specific service for details on local channel coverage.
Viewers can watch Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade live on NBC Thursday morning at 9/8c.