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How to See the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in Person (2025)

10/29/2024

I grew up watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade every year on Thanksgiving. I still watch it on TV every year, and I know my family isn't the only one with this tradition. And so, after years of persuasion, I finally convinced my husband to wake up at 4 a.m. and wait outside in downtown New York to see the entire Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade from the front row.

*If you have any questions that aren't answered in this post, please leave them in the comments section where I do my best to answer all related questions directly!

Our Essential Travel Resources :
There are a lot of travel companies out there, but some are better than others. These are our favorite websites and resources to help you plan an incredible trip.

For flights, we recommend using WayAway or Hopper to compare the cheapest dates to travel to your destination.

Car rentals comparisons are best through Discover Cars - just make sure to bring your international driver's permit with you if you're heading somewhere international!

We always use AGODA for hotels. They have an easy-to-use platform where you can compare the best rates.

To keep cell phone service if you're traveling internationally, we always use Airalo’s easy to purchase eSIM’s (no installation required).

For fun things to do, we always recommend Viator to find the best tours in the area, otherwise Klook also does the trick, especially for tours in Asia.

Just in case, Safetywing is the insurance I always use for travel insurance.

Lastly, my packing list for your international or domestic travels.

Getting the Best View of the Thanksgiving Parade

The most important thing to do when planning your parade trip is to check the year's scheduled parade route. Certain areas will be more crowded than others, and it's important to know that it's nearly impossible to get a spot near the Macy's Herald Square, which is all closed off for national broadcasting. When we visited, we ended up right near the subway station exit near the Rockettes (or station E on their map) and it ended up being perfect.

As for timing your visit, the parade usually begins at 8:30 in the morning near Central Park and takes a little while to reach the center of the parade route. We were stationed near the "E" on the map, and the beginning of the parade reached us around 9:30 a.m. with the last float reaching us around 11:30 a.m. If you want a front row spot, I wouldn't arrive any later than 5:30 a.m. We got there around 4:00 a.m. and were some of the only people there that early - but it was quite interesting to see them moving all of the traffic lights out of the way of the parade route!

Our Favorite Tours in New York City :
- Empire State Building Entry
- NYC Helicopter Tour
- Statue of Liberty & Cruise

Our Best Advice and What to Expect

Our best advice for having the best possible experience at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is to go early for the best seats, to dress in layers and maybe even bring a blanket to stay warm during the entire parade, and to bring a couple extras - like snacks and drinks - we even saw many people bringing their own folding chairs to sit in while they enjoyed the parade!

The last thing you should expect is of course the crowds. Your day might start off fairly empty depending on how early you arrive to the parade route, but once the parade begins you'll notice the crowds packing in pretty quickly. Most of the people around us were very nice and respectful, but of course there were a few that tried to push their way to the front. Either way, the entire experience was so much fun and seeing the gigantic balloons up close was even better than they looked on TV. Seeing the Macy's Day Parade in person is something we will 100% be doing in the future, and we highly recommend doing it at least once in your lifetime!

Watch our Thanksgiving Day Adventures here!