The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is Thursday. Everything to know.

The 99th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will return to the streets of Manhattan and television screens of millions this Thursday, Nov. 27, ushering in the 2025 holiday season.

Macy's organizers keep the nearly century-old tradition fresh by adding new features each parade, usually based on recent pop culture moments and fan-favorite properties. Seven new floats, including a Labubu-themed one, will make their debut in 2025, along with five new balloon characters.

With 32 balloons (plus 3 balloonicles), 27 floats, 33 clown groups, 11 marching bands and 26 performances from music’s biggest stars scheduled, there are a lot of fresh spectacles and old favorites to keep an eye out for this Thanksgiving morning.

Here's everything to know about the parade, from where to watch it to who is hosting.

What time does the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade start?

The parade begins at 8:30 a.m. ET on Thursday, Nov. 27.

How to watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade

The event will be telecast on NBC starting at 8:30 a.m. in all time zones. It will also stream on Peacock, and Fubo subscribers will also be able to watch. An encore on NBC will follow at 2 p.m. ET/PT.

Three different camera angles will be presented in Multiview on Peacock, allowing viewers to immerse themselves in all the day’s festivities:

Traditional Programming (primary view): The parade, as fans know and love it, will feature commentary from NBC hosts, live performances and more.
Float View: Ride aboard the classic Tom the Turkey float through the streets of Manhattan and truly feel like a part of the parade.
High-Rise View: Get a bird’s eye view of all the excitement from high above the parade route.

To create a more inclusive experience for blind and visually impaired viewers, Macy's said, the full NBC broadcast will be presented with live audio description on the Secondary Audio Program channel (SAP), provided by Descriptive Video Works.

How long is the parade?

The parade will run 3½ hours, from 8:30 a.m. to noon, a parade spokesperson confirmed to USA TODAY.

Who's hosting the Thanksgiving Day Parade?

Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker of NBC's "Today" show will return as telecast hosts, NBC said.

Despite Kotb bidding farewell to "Today" in early January, she is coming back for one day to host the parade.

New floats at the 2025 Thanksgiving Day Parade

Seven new floats are slated to appear in the parade this year:

Friends-giving in POPCITY by Pop Mart float, aka the Labubu float: The Labubu-themed float will feature other Pop Mart characters, including Skullpanda, Peach, Riot, Dimoo, Molly, Duckoo and Mokoko.
Upside Down Invasion: Stranger Things by Netflix: A float set in the Hawkins National Laboratory and featuring an eight and a half foot tall Demogorgon puppet.
LEGO's Brick-tastic Winter Mountain: A wintery scene on Yeti Mountain where every component corresponds to an existing LEGO brick, piece and character.
The Land of Glaciers, Wildlife & Wonder by Holland America Line: An icy scene meant to capture "the grandeur of Alaska" with images of glaciers, wildlife and Denali National Park.
Master Chocolatier Ballroom by Lindt: An extravagant red and gold ballroom complete with all the chocolate trimmings.
The Littlest Float from Goldfish: The tiniest float, standing at just under 8 inches tall and adorned with to-scale Goldfish crackers.
The Counting Sheep's Dream Generator by Serta: A dreamy float is decorated with stars, moons, cloud fluff and some of the iconic sheep flock featured in Serta mattress commercials.

New balloons at the 2025 Thanksgiving Day Parade

Floats aren't the only fresh additions to the parade this year; five new balloons will fly above the streets of New York, as well. New balloons include:

"Buzz Lightyear" by Pixar Animation Studios: One of the most recognizable characters from Pixar's beloved "Toy Story" series, Buzz measures 58 feet long and 45.5 feet high.
"PAC-MAN" by Bandai Namco Entertainment America, Inc.: The classic arcade character will measure more than 40 feet in length and 37 feet in height.
"Shrek’s Onion Carriage" from Universal Pictures’ DreamWorks Animation: The Shrek-themed balloon doesn't just feature its titular character: Fiona, Donkey and others can be seen in a pungent onion carriage, which measures nearly 40 feet in length and 32.5 feet in height.
"Mario" by Nintendo: A man who needs no introduction. The beloved plumber and princess-rescuer will float above the earth at more than 51 feet long and 43.7 feet tall.
"Derpy Tiger" from Netflix's movie "K-Pop Demon Hunters": The silent and perhaps unexpected star of the show will dazzle fans at 39 feet long and 21 feet tall.
Bonus: Sussie from "K-Pop Demon Hunters" will also appear as a balloonicle, or a balloon mounted on a vehicle and driven through the parade, as opposed to flying high on strings like larger counterparts.

Who will perform at the 2025 Thanksgiving Day Parade?

The following stars are listed to perform this year: