Before digging into the food and Black Friday sales, the morning of Thanksgiving is for one thing: tuning in to watch gigantic balloons float their way down 6th Ave. Today, the 99th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade kicked off at 8:30 a.m. ET on NBC. Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker hosted the parade broadcast. The event featured performances from Wicked: For Good's Cynthia Erivo, Country artist Lainey Wilson, Broadway shows Buena Vista Social Club, Just in Time and Ragtime and much more. A giant Buzz Lightyear, Pac-Man, Shrek's Onion Carriage and Mario made their balloon debuts. If you missed all the action in Macy's Herlad Square, don't fret, the parade will be rebroadcast on NBC at 2 p.m. ET!

Ready to tune in, but don't have access to live NBC? Here's how to watch the parade for free.

2025 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade start time:

The parade begins on Thanksgiving morning at 8:30 a.m. ET/5:30 a.m. PT. There will be an encore broadcast at 2 p.m. ET/PT.

How long is the Macy's Parade?

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will last roughly 3.5 hours, ending at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT before replaying on NBC at 2 p.m. ET/PT.

2025 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade channel:

The Macy's Thanksgiving Parade will air on NBC and stream on Peacock on Thanksgiving Day from 8:30 a.m. to noon in all time zones. If you have access to live TV, you may be able to watch NBC for free over the air. If not, here's what we recommend for watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade for free.

How to watch the 2025 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for free:

Want to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thanksgiving football and more on live TV this holiday season for free? Here are a few platforms offering free trials around this time of year.

2025 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade performers:

Wicked star Cynthia Erivo will open the parade, which will also feature performances from Country artist Lainey Wilson, EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and REI AMI (the singing voices of HUNTR/X from Netflix's KPop Demon Hunters), Drew Baldridge, Matteo Bocelli, Colbie Caillat, Ciara, Gavin DeGraw, Meg Donnelly, Mr. Fantasy, Foreigner, Debbie Gibson, Mickey Guyton, Christopher Jackson, Jewel, Lil Jon, Kool & the Gang, Darlene Love, Roman Mejia, Taylor Momsen, Tiler Peck, the Radio City Rockettes, Busta Rhymes, Calum Scott, Shaggy, Lauren Spencer Smith, Luísa Sonza and Teyana Taylor.

There will also be performances from the Broadway casts of Buena Vista Social Club, Just in Time and Ragtime.

2025 Macy's Thanksgiving Parade floats:

There will be 32 balloons, three "ballonicles," 27 floats, 33 clown groups, 11 marching bands and plenty of performances at the 2025 Macy's parade.

New floats at the 2025 Macy's Thanksgiving Parade:

Six new floats are debuting at this year's parade:

• The Land of Ice & Wonder by Holland America Line

• Brick-tastic Winter Mountain by The LEGO Group

• Master Chocolatier Ballroom by Lindt

• Upside Down Invasion: Stranger Things by Netflix

• Friends-giving in POPCITY by Pop Mart

• The Counting Sheep's Dream Generator by Serta

New balloons at the 2025 Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade:

In 2025, there will be four new featured character balloons making their debut in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade:

• Buzz Lightyear by Pixar Animation Studios

• Pac-Man by Bandai Namco Entertainment America, Inc.

• Shrek's Onion Carriage from Universal Pictures' DreamWorks Animation

• Mario by Nintendo.

Derpy Tiger and Sussie from Netflix’s K-Pop Demon Hunters will also join the line-up as a mid-sized balloon and balloonicle.

Who is hosting this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade?

Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker of The Today Show will host NBC's broadcast of the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade again this year.

More ways to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: