How to Watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV and Online

There's something truly magical about watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Why else would it draw millions of watchers to the 2.5-mile-long parade route, and millions more to their TV sets at home? Maybe it’s the celebrities waving on floats, or the Broadway performances, or the balloons fashioned after cartoon characters, lovable and gargantuan and looming high above you.

Heading to the parade route this year? Lucky you. Morning temperatures in the Big Apple are expected to be well below freezing, with possible “cold winds gusting past 40 mph.”

For everyone else, there's another option. Watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in your own home, under your own blankets, with all the glory, and none of the freezing wind. Here's how to stream it.

Parade Time

The 92nd Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade airs on Thanksgiving Day. Obviously. That’s Thursday, November 22. The parade kicks off at 9 am Eastern and runs until noon.

NBC’s coverage begins at 9 am in all time zones. You can watch on NBC’s website and on the NBC app (free, iOS and Android). NBC and Verizon have teamed up to air 360 degree video coverage of the parade on Verizon’s YouTube channel, too. No subscription needed.

CBS’s live coverage will start at 9 am Eastern, with delayed coverage at 1 pm Pacific. Watch on CBS’s website or on the CBS app (free, iOS and Android).

Both NBC and CBS’s coverage is available on their respective OTT apps for Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and the like. You can also watch both networks’ coverage from streaming services you might already use, like Hulu with Live TV, PlayStation Vue, Sling TV, and YouTube TV.

Above all, the best way to see the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade is to fire up the hot cocoa and enjoy watching this oddball American tradition in a blessed cocoon of peace and comforters, as you ring in the most wonderful time of the year. Because goodness knows how long you’ll have until the relatives crash in, lovable and larger-than-life and clamoring all around you.