Tips for Seeing the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

We’re lucky enough to have been to the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade here in New York City a few times now. The kids always look forward to going back to kick off the holiday season and watch the giant balloons. The easiest way to see everything is from a hotel room along the route, which should be booked as soon as possible! We have tons of recommendations on the blog for this. For any locals looking to go for the first time this year or if you’re in town and want check out all the action, we are breaking down our top tips for seeing the Macy’s parade in person.

Get a Good Night’s Rest

Firstly, not only do you have a long day ahead, but you have an early one. For anyone with little kids, it is even longer! Trying to keep everyone happy in the cold weather with plenty of snack options while you stand in one spot for a few hours is no joke. The sis something that is way easier to tackle when you are well rested. I think one of our best tips is to plan out your sleep schedule leading up to the early morning. If you’re cooking a full Thanksgiving dinner afterwards, that’s something to keep in mind as well.

Choose Your Spot

Secondly, this is another thing to plan ahead on. Know where you are going! Are you planning on staying on 59th street? 34th? Get prime viewing spots and the best locations noted before late November arrives. Here are a few things to note:

Upper West Side: The parade starts there which means it ends earlier, getting you home to you loved ones and candied yams that much sooner.

Central Park West: Between 59th and 75th streets is filled with excited parade goers, well before the majority of the city has even gotten out of bed. Macy’s states people start lining up along this section of the parade route at 6 a.m.

Columbus Circle: Head up to the second and third floors of the Shops at Columbus Circle for an elevated — and warmer — view of the parade.

The intersection of Central Park South and Sixth Avenue is another spot with several vantage points. It also offers a great view of the parade as it heads south toward Herald Square.

Sixth Avenue between West 59th and 38th Streets.

Leave Early

We’ve already discussed planning out best viewing spots ahead of time, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the viewing area is free. We suggest going earlier than you think for an unobstructed view and avoiding long lines. If the parade kicks off at 9AM, maybe plan on getting there by 6AM for the best bet in the big apple.

Dress Warm

Dress for the weather. If it’s chilly, make sure you have layers! This way you can always peel them back if you need to or you have options for plenty of warmth at the end of November. Here are a few pieces we’d wear for the big event!

Chelsea Boots // Teddy Coat // Cream Boots // Fleece // Vest // Puffer Jacket // Pink Sweatpants // Wrap Coat // Uggs // Rain Boots // Turtle Neck // Rain Coat // Leggings

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Pack Snacks and Water

This is huge! Especially if you have little ones, bring every snack and water bottle you can think of. Even just waiting around for it to begin is hours long, let alone the parade itself. Pack everything the night before and put it by the door so you don’t forget anything. It’s not practical to think you can run and get food during the parade, there are huge crowds.

Plan Accordingly

The public bathroom situation is not ideal. And similarly to our advice on avoiding running to walking distance food spots, you are going to want to do the same for the bathroom breaks. It’s not easy to get in or out of your chosen spot of the parade so just keep that in mind. And pace yourself with beverages! We recommend no coffee on this day for this reason.

Alternative: Watch the Balloon Prep the Night Before

Finally, if you aren’t able to make the live performances on Thanksgiving but want to be a part of all the action, you can actually watch them prep everything the night before. On Thanksgiving Eve, the larger-than-life balloons are lined up and prepped down side streets of the Upper West Side. If you can make your way to that part of town on Wednesday night, you can see plenty of your favorite balloons down on the ground, before they take to the skies on Thanksgiving morning. We actually have done this a few times with our kids. It was so fun when they were  younger and unlikely to sit through hours of parade processions.

Check out Macy’s website for the entire Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade route.

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