Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

One of our family’s Thanksgiving day traditions is watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. This parade has been going on for years it started  in 1924, the holiday event has evolved from a two-block procession of circus animals into what is easily our favorite over-the-top spectacular of the year.

The 93rd annual parade will kick off this year on November 28^th at 9 a.m., with 3.5 million people watching from the streets of Manhattan and another 50 million viewing from home. This year's event includes all of the giant balloons and celebrities we've come to expect, plus a fleet of new floats and performers.

The 2019 lineup will include: 16 giant character balloons (which, I did hear they may have to skip the large balloons due to the excessive winds expected. That would be a bummer. The parade official call will be made Thursday morning); 40 novelty balloons 26 floats; 1,200 cheerleaders and dancers; more than 1,000 clowns; and 11 marching bands. There will be some celebrity appearances and performances from Celine Dion, Black Eyed Peas, Billy Porter, Jimmy Fallon and The Roots, Idina Menzel, characters from Sesame Street—and, of course, Santa Claus. So it’s a star studded lineup. Macy's is also unveiling five new floats this year.

NBC will host a televised, three-hour broadcast, from 9 a.m. to noon. For those without cable, Macy's has partnered with Verizon to air a 360-degree livestream on YouTube. And it will be completely free. It’s a great way to start Thanksgiving day if you are looking for a new holiday tradition. I am pretty darn excited for it.