Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 2016: Live Stream TV Viewing, Route Details, And Lineup

Thursday’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 2016 and related parades will provide fun-filled televised and live streaming events for viewers ahead of turkey dinner. The annual tradition of parades featuring balloons, floats, performers, and celebration of the November holiday will air on two different television networks, giving viewers different options for how they want to consume their entertainment. In addition, the latest Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade route and weather reports are available for those individuals planning to go live in-person to witness the spectacle in New York City.

According to a report from ABC 7 on Wednesday, this will be the first time in 90 years that the parade route will not allow vehicular traffic to cross the route. The restrictions come after a recent message believed to be ISIS propaganda that featured a photo of the parade along with a suggestion for ISIS followers to “use speeding vehicles to attack.” Due to that message, caution is being exercised and the main east-west crossings in Midtown between 42nd and 57th Streets will be closed. There will also be over 80 sand trucks in place to block the entire route from any potential traffic situations.

The actual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade route begins with a formation at 9 a.m. Eastern Time from Central Park West and 77th Street. From there, it heads south on Central Park West to Columbus Circle and then south through E/S Columbus Circle to 59th Street. The parade moves east on 59th Street to 6th Avenue, and then South on 6th Avenue to 34th Street. It finishes off by going west on 34th Street to 7th Avenue where the dispersal area is located. For those who are witnessing the parade live in-person, it’s always advised to arrive as early as possible to get the ideal viewing location.

Weather reports for Thursday indicate a decent forecast with overcast skies and temperatures in the mid-40s around the start of the parade. They’ll warm up to closer to 50 degrees by the conclusion of the event. There will be a 15 percent chance for some rain starting around 10 a.m. Eastern Time. Spectators should plan accordingly for how they want to dress based on the temperatures and potential for some rain.

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will be available for television viewing and live streaming. Keep in mind that while NBC tends to be a popular channel to view the official parade, CBS will also present their own Thanksgiving Day Parade as well. Both begin at 9 a.m. Eastern Time and run through 12 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday.

NBC’s presentation will be the official Macy’s version of the annual parade. Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie, and Al Roker will handle the commentary and anchoring of the telecast. This year’s show includes another star-studded lineup including Tony Bennett, Aloe Blacc, The Muppets, Sandra Lee, Christopher Jackson, Claressa Shields, Sarah McLachlan, Sprout’s Chica, Michelle Carter, Grace VaderWaal, and the recent Dancing With the Stars Season 23 winner, Olympic gold medalist Laurie Hernandez.

For NBC, the Sling TV service “Blue” package offers NBC as part of its channel lineup. They are currently offering new customers who sign-up for the service a one-week free trial of their subscription service. Once signed up, viewers can enjoy not only NBC, and the parade, but a good variety of other channels including TBS, TNT, USA, HGTV, Lifetime, SyFy, A&E, and FX.

Macy’s recently released an interesting look at the 90th annual parade through the eyes of a young child as he sees Santa floating above the streets.

There will also be a CBS edition of the Thanksgiving Day Parade but it is not branded as a “Macy’s” version. It will be anchored by Kevin Frazier and Keltie Knight. This particular parade will feature performances from Sting, Miranda Lambert, and various Broadway shows including The Color Purple and School of Rock. To watch the CBS Thanksgiving Parade live streaming online, there is the CBS All Access service. This live streaming online service is also subscription-based and is available on a one-week free trial. More details are available at the official CBS All-Access website.

Will you be watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC or the Thanksgiving Day Parade presented by CBS? What is your favorite aspect of the annual parades, the floats, balloons, performances, or everything combined?

[Featured Image by Andrew Burton/Getty Images]