Reasons to Be Thankful—The Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Carries on, on Thursday, November 26

Due to COVID-19, the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, airing from 9 am to noon on Thursday, November 26, in all time zones on NBC only (with an encore presentation airing from 2 to 5 pm) will be a lot different this year. With COVID safety precautions in place, the 94th parade is cutting down on personnel, with most participants coming from the New York metropolitan area. Professional marching bands and ensembles are replacing high school and college marching bands. And instead of the route from Central Park West and 79th Street to the flagship store on Broadway and 34th Street, the parade will encompass only two blocks at the Macy’s location.

The parade will give a nod to shows that had to shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic, with performances from Broadway’s Ain’t Too Proud—The Life and Times of the Temptations, Hamilton, Mean Girls and Jagged Little Pill. There will also be performances from the Radio City Rockettes, Jimmy Fallon and The Roots, Patti LaBelle, Dolly Parton, Leslie Odom Jr., Bebe Rexha, Jordin Sparks, Sebastián Yatra, Brett Young, Pentatonix, the cast and Muppets of Sesame Street, CNCO, Sofia Carson, Lauren Alaina, Ally Brooke, Tori Kelly and Karol G.