Thanksgiving
CBS says goodbye to Thanksgiving Day Parade: Where to watch the balloons and floats on Nov. 28
The alternative to the official Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, CBS has decided to call it quits after a run of more than 70 years of broadcasting the event.
It’s not a surprise to many, but CBS has decided not to compete with NBC this year. No official announcement has been made by CBS, but some speculate the advertising from sponsors wasn’t enough to continue with their “unofficial” coverage of the event. NBC has been the official sponsor since 1954 and this year will be the only channel covering the parade. Their streaming service Peacock will also broadcast the event online.
Another possibility is that the broadcast rights to cover the event are just too much. NBC is the official Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade network, but some experts say the network will be forced to pay triple the yearly fees next year if they want to continue being the official network. Could this be a strategic move by CBS? We’ll have to wait and see, but this year the only thing CBS will broadcast on Thanksgiving day before the Bears - Chicago NFL matchup is ‘The Price is Right.’
What time is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade?
Coverage begins at 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 28. The parade ends at Macy’s Herald Square store on 34th Street at noon, but there will be an encore presentation at 2 p.m. on NBC. The parade will be broadcast on NBC on TV and can be streamed on Peacock.
Who are the hosts of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC?
Al Roker, Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb will host the 2024 parade.
What balloons are in this year’s parade?
- Beagle Scout Snoopy
- Bluey
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid
- Disney’s Minnie Mouse
- Extraordinary Noorah & Elf on the Shelf
- Gabby from “Gabby’s Dollhouse”
- Goku from “Dragon Ball”
- Kung Fu Panda’s Po
- Marshall from “PAW Patrol”
- Monkey D. Luffy from “One Piece”
- Opening Macy’s Stars
- Pikachu & Eevee from “Pokémon”
- The Pillsbury Doughboy
- Pumpkins
- Sinclair’s Dino
- Smokey Bear
- Snow Crystals
- Spider-Man
- SpongeBob SquarePants & Gary
- Stuart the Minion
- Tiptoe
Has the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade ever been cancelled?
The parade has only been suspended three times: from 1942 to 1944 because of World War II and the fact that rubber and helium were needed for the war effort.
How many people watched the parade in 2023?
The 2023 parade was seen by 28.5 million viewers, which was in increase of 6 percent from the 2022 parade.