Today is the 2018 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City and people across the nation will be watching the event on television, as they prep their holiday meals. For those who do not have a cable subscription, you may be looking for a way to watch the show online. Fortunately, we have several options, including the Verizon live stream of the parade above.
If the above live stream does not work for you, there are still other online streaming options. The parade will air on two main networks – CBS and NBC – from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. ET (local time). Because it airs on multiple networks, there are multiple ways to watch the show online. If you do not have cable or cannot get to a television, you can watch the CBS network live via your computer, phone or streaming device, just by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming options:
If you have Amazon Prime or want to start a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime, you can watch all CBS content (both live and on-demand) via the CBS All-Access Amazon Channel, which comes with a 7-day free trial.
Once you are signed up for both Amazon Prime and the CBS channel, you can then watch the CBS network live on your computer via the Amazon website, or you can watch on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Amazon Video app.
This service lets you watch a live stream of your local CBS channel, as well as all of CBS’ on-demand library. It’s ultimately the same as the above option, only you’re watching through CBS’ digital platform rather than Amazon’s. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial, and then you can watch CBS live on your computer via the CBS website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the CBS app.
NBC (available live in select markets, which you can find here) is included in the “Sling Blue” channel package. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial right here, and you can then watch the show live on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Sling TV app.
If you can’t watch live, you can get 50 hours of cloud DVR storage as an additional add-on.
In addition to their extensive Netflix-like streaming library, Hulu now also offers a bundle of 50-plus live TV channels, including CBS and NBC (available live in select markets, which you can find here). You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the show on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch the parade live, “Hulu with Live TV” also comes with both its extensive on-demand library (which has most shows available after they air) and 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
CBS and NBC (available live in select markets, which you can find here) are a couple of the 85 channels included in the main Fubo bundle. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the show on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the FuboTV app.
If you can’t watch the parade show live, FuboTV comes with 30 hours of Cloud DVR (with the ability to upgrade to 500 hours), as well as a “72-Hour Lookback” feature, which allows you to watch most shows up to three days after they air even if you forgot to record them.
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has been a tradition in Manhattan, for decades. In addition to watching the festivities at home, people have been going to the event with their friends and family from all over the country to see the floats. Though millions see the parade, few actually know the origins of the iconic event.
History.com explained that the Thanksgiving parade originated in other cities including Philadelphia and Chicago. New York had a smaller tradition that involved less of the actual floats and more of a Halloween kind of celebration, where children would venture out to knock on doors and ask for small treats from their neighbors and friends.
The first official Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was held on November 27, 1924. The parade included different floats, music bands and animals from the Central Park Zoo, such as elephants, bears and monkeys.
It’s the 92nd Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and this could be the coldest Thanksgiving in a hundred years, with temperatures in NYC in the 20’s for the day. So, for those venturing out to watch the parade in person, be sure to bundle up with a lot of layers. With the weather and winds being so cold and severe, there’s always the chance that the floats could end up being grounded. CBS reported that the Thanksgiving Day parade balloons were last grounded in 1971.
For those hoping to follow the route of the parade, CBS News has reported, “The annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade through Midtown Manhattan starts on the west side of central park near the American Museum of Natural History and progresses down Central Park West and 6th Avenues toward Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square.”
The performers for the parade are filled with marching bands and A-list artists. Some of these artists include Ashley Tisdale, Bad Bunny, Barenaked Ladies, Rita Ora, Diana Ross, John Legend, Kane Brown, and Leona Lewis.