What to Expect From the 2020 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Despite a year of cancellations and dire health concerns, the beloved Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is set to go ahead — and country stars will be taking the lead.

Back for its 94th year but looking a little different in 2020, this year’s parade will not follow its traditional route through New York City or allow spectators to line the streets, but it will be televised for families to enjoy at home. Fifty million viewers are expected to tune in as imaginative floats and gigantic balloons cruise past the Macy’s Herald Square location at 34th Street in Manhattan, and they’ll hear some country music, too.

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Look Mom! // Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade this year! #MacysParade

A post shared by Brett Young (@brettyoungmusic) on Nov 11, 2020 at 6:39am PST

Many of the parade’s biggest celebrities are country performers, with Dolly Parton, Lauren Alaina, Jimmie Allen with Noah Cyrus and Brett Young all set to be featured. Many more stars will also be on hand, including Bebe Rexha (of “Meant to Be” featuring Florida Georgia Line fame), Jimmy Fallon and the Roots, Tori Kelly, Pentatonix and more — not to mention Santa Claus and the Radio City Rockettes. Dance performances by the Broadway casts of Hamilton: The Musical, Jagged Little Pill, Mean Girls and more will also be included, but sadly, no high school marching bands will perform this year.

Likewise, some of the parade’s segments will be taped the day before, but the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will still live up to its name. It will air on November 26 from 9 a.m. – Noon in all time zones on NBC (plus a Spanish language simulcast on Telemundo), with extra livestream content beginning at 8:30 a.m. EST on Verizon’s Twitter feed and YouTube platforms and an encore presentation from 2 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Hosting this year are TODAY’s Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker (on NBC), plus Adamari Lopez, Jessica Carrillo, Rodner Figueroa and Nastassja Bolivar (on Telemundo).