Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Map Of The Day: Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, New Route
By
Jen Chung
Published Nov 25, 2009
Modified Nov 25, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Nov 25, 2009
Modified Nov 25, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
This year will be the first year the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade doesn't head down Broadway for its Herald Square finale outside Macy's. Instead, the procession of balloons, floats and performers will head down Seventh and Sixth Avenues, partially due to the new pedestrian plazas in Times Square and partially because 7th and 6th Avenues are wider (in 2005, some parade watchers were struck by M&M balloons!).
The parade's new route involves more turns, which means the balloon handlers need to be on their toes. The owner of a California event company that specializes in giant balloons, Charles Trimble, told City Room, "Getting all those people around a corner can be interesting. They’ll work a little harder; the crowd loves that. They love to see you doing something with the balloon." And Macy's parade director Robin Hall had this to say about business on Broadway complaining about the parade not being on Broadway anymore, "For everyone that loses a view of the parade, there is someone who picks up a view of the parade."
The parade begins at 9 a.m.—onlookers generally start lining the streets hours before—and ends around noon. Macy's says the best viewing is along Central Park West between 61st and 72nd Streets (perhaps because the park is along one side, not buildings). And besides the balloons—which you can see being inflated today—performers include DJ Lance Rock and the Yo Gabba Gabba! cast, Alan Cumming, Jimmy Fallon and the Roots, Gloria Gaynor, Kermit the Frog, Ziggy Marley and Judah Marley, the Big Apple Circus, the cast of Sesame Street, and Cyndi Lauper.
Tagged
macy's
macy's thanksgiving day parade
map
parade route
thanksgiving day parade
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
The Knicks are NBA champions. Now they have to start dressing the part.
Before they attempt to fend off LeBron James and the 76ers on Tuesday, the Knicks will have a chance to show off their winning mentality through their tunnel fits.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 19, 2026 at 12:43 p.m. ET
Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.
Independent booksellers are grappling with whether the big-box chain is a threat or an ally in the fight against Amazon.
By
Sonia Rao
Arts & Entertainment
Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.
Independent booksellers are grappling with whether the big-box chain is a threat or an ally in the fight against Amazon.
By
Sonia Rao
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years
By
Hannah Frishberg
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
By
Sonia Rao
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .