When is the 2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade? Start time, balloons, floats, how to watch

Thanksgiving Day is a week away, and besides the pie and turkey, one of the highlights of the day is the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

While the tradition began 100 years ago in 1924, the parade is not celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. The parade did not take place in 1942, 1943 and 1944 due to World War II, according to Macy's. During that time, materials that would have been used in the celebration, including rubber, were dedicated to war efforts.

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade begins on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and ends at Macy’s flagship store at Herald Square in New York City.

This year's lineup is slated to showcase 22 floats, 17 character balloons, 15 heritage or novelty balloons and more than 700 clowns, according to NBC, which broadcasts the event. The event will also feature performances by several music stars along with 11 marching bands and 10 performance groups, with renowned choreographer Shay Latukolan choreographing dance performances for Tom Turkey and Santa Claus, and three featured floats.

"The 98th Macy’s Parade lineup ensures there will be something for everyone during this iconic Thanksgiving Day celebration," Macy's says about the parade.

Here's what you need to know about this year's parade including where to watch and which balloons to look out for.

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What time does the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade start?

The 2024 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. ET on Thursday, Nov. 28.

How to watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade

The 2024 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will be telecast on NBC from 8:30 a.m. to Noon in all time zones on Thursday, Nov. 28. The event will also simulstream on Peacock and Fubo subscribers will also be able to watch it. An encore on NBC will follow at 2 p.m. ET/PT.

Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker of NBC's "Today" show will return as telecast hosts.

To create a more inclusive experience for visually impaired viewers, NBC will present the full broadcast with live audio description on the Secondary Audio Program channel (SAP), provided by Descriptive Video Works. The broadcast will be available with additional audio narration describing the visuals of the Parade, according to NBC.

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How long is the parade?

The 2024 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will run for a full 3 ? hours between 8:30 a.m. to noon.

New 2024 Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade balloons

While the annual parade will feature 17 character balloons and 15 heritage or novelty balloons, this year's edition will debut six new featured balloons, including:

• Minnie Mouse

• Extraordinary Noorah & The Elf on the Shelf

• Gabby from Gabby's Dollhouse

• Goku from Dragon Ball

• Marshall from PAW Patrol

• Spider-Man

The 60-foot Minnie Mouse will join Mickey Mouse, whose balloon debut was in 1934, Pluto (1934), Donald Duck (1935) and Goofy (1992).

Macy's is "super excited about bringing Minnie to life," Will Coss, executive producer of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, told USA TODAY last month. "It has been a Macy's Studios dream for quite some time, and the folks here on my team who've worked on the design, actually bringing that character to life as a balloon in the sky, couldn't be more excited about it."

New floats at the 2024 Thanksgiving Day Parade

Six new floats will also debut during the 2024 parade including:

• Candy Cosmos by Haribo

• Dora’s Fantastical Rainforest by Nickelodeon & Paramount

• Magic Meets the Seas by Disney Cruise Line

• Pasta Knight by Rao’s Homemade

• Wednesday’s Feast by Netflix

• Wondrous World of Wildlife by Bronx Zoo (The Bronx Zoo is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year)

Who will perform at 2024 Thanksgiving Day Parade?

The following stars are listed to perform at this year's Thanksgiving Day Parade:

• Jennifer Hudson

• Kylie Minogue

• Billy Porter

• Loud Luxury

• Cynthia Erivo

• Cole Escola

• Bishop Briggs

• Kylie Cantrall

• Chl?e

• Dan + Shay

• Dasha

• Jimmy Fallon & The Roots

• Coco Jones

• Walker Hayes

• Ariana Madix

• Joey McIntyre

• Idina Menzel

• Natti Natasha

• T-Pain

• Rachel Platten

• Lea Salonga

• The Temptations

• The War and Treaty

• Alex Warren

• Sebastián Yatra

• Charli D’Amelio

• Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia

Contributing: Felecia Wellington Radel and KiMi Robinson

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Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 2024: Time, balloons, where to watch