Where to Watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Live
It's Thanksgiving Day, and like the annual turkey spread, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade has become an inseparable part of the event. Given the recent boom of streaming services, there are now plenty of options to watch the balloons go by online, and in real-time too.
Live broadcast of the event for this year is handled by NBC. Hosting duties for the 91st Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade will be handled by "Today" hosts Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie and Al Roker during the telecast, which will cover the entirety of the parade.
The parade proper starts at 9 a.m. ET and will proceed until noon on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 23. The live streams may start well before that to provide pre and post-parade coverage, too.
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Viewers can also tune in to the parade coverage via their desktop or laptop web browsers by visiting their live streaming link. This stream also supports mobile devices, although Android and iOS gadgets have more options available to them.
NBC's free app from iTunes or Google Play can stream the parade as well, since the network is suspending the log in requirements on that day.
The network has also teamed up with Verizon to provide a 360-degree live stream video for viewers at home and elsewhere, as Entertainment Weekly reports. Verizon's own YouTube channel will be streaming the event shortly before it starts, and will be covering the entire two-and-a-half mile parade all the way to the Macy's Herald Square.
About 3.5 million watchers are expected to fill the streets on Thanksgiving Day morning, making a Thanksgiving Day drive around the streets next to the parade route all but impossible.
Should they make it to the route itself, viewers who want the live experience can get the best view of the 72nd Street Central Park West and 61st Street, as NYC Tourist points out. Other parts of the route are closed to the public, and the Official Viewing area will be too crowded.
