Getty 93rd Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 28, 2019 in New York City.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is still on for 2020, though it is going to look a little bit different this year. But here’s what you need to know about the time, channel, hosts, performers, and more.
2020 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Date and Time: The parade airs live on Thursday, November 26 from 9 a.m. to noon across all time zones.
2020 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Channel: NBC is the official network for the parade. It has televised the parade since 1953. The parade is also airing live on Telemundo.
CBS will have its own Thanksgiving Day celebration with a look back at past floats and performances, hosted by Kevin Frazier and Keltie Knight. It will also feature performances from Maddie & Tae, Mickey Guyton, and the cast of Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen, but the CBS special does not broadcast the official Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
For the first time in Macy’s Parade broadcast history, in an effort to create a more inclusive experience for blind and visually impaired viewers, NBCUniversal is proud to present the full NBC broadcast with live audio description on the Secondary Audio Program channel (SAP), provided by Descriptive Video Works. This year’s broadcast will be available with additional audio narration, describing the rich visuals of the Parade including the magnificent balloons, floats and performances, to complement the storytelling and celebration that make the Parade an annual Thanksgiving Day tradition for millions of Americans.
2020 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Hosts: Today Show anchors Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker host the NBC broadcast, while Adamari Lopez, Jessica Carrillo, Rodner Figueroa and Nastassja Bolivar host the Spanish-language broadcast on Telemundo.
2020 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade COVID-19 Changes: To safely bring the spectacle to millions nationwide during this unprecedented time, the annual production will shift to a broadcast-only event. This year the procession will forgo marching down the traditional 2.5-mile route in Manhattan in order to avoid gathering large crowds.
2020 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Celebrity Performers & Guests: Lauren Alaina, Ally Brooke, Sofia Carson, CNCO, Jimmy Fallon and The Roots (opening the show), Karol G, Tori Kelly, Patti LaBelle, Miss America 2020 Camille Schrier, Matthew Morrison, the cast and Muppets of Sesame Street, Leslie Odom Jr., Keke Palmer, Dolly Parton, Pentatonix, Bebe Rexha, Jordin Sparks, Sebastián Yatra, and Brett Young; with an extra special appearance by the one-and-only Santa Claus.
The parade will feature performances from the casts of Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations, Hamilton, Jagged Little Pill and Mean Girls. The Radio City Rockettes will perform in Herald Square.
2020 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade New Balloons and Floats: There are two new balloons this year — Red Titan from YouTube channel “Ryan’s World” and Boss Baby from the movie and TV show of the same name. There are also four new floats — Big Turkey Spectacular (Jennie-O), Christmas in Town Square (Lifetime), Her Future is Stem-Sational (Olay), and Tom & Jerry’s Tourist Trap (Warner Bros. Pictures).
Read more about the new floats and balloons here.
The 2020 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade airs live from 9 a.m. to noon across all time zones on NBC.
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