2016 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Where can I watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 2016?

There are three recommended stretches or spots on the route for watching the parade: the first leg along Central Park West, Columbus Circle and, finally, along Sixth Avenue between Central Park South and 38th Street. The section from 38th Street to Herald Square and Macy’s department store is the telecast area and closed to the public. While there is limited space for viewing along the south side of 34th Street between Broadway and Seventh Avenue, the sight lines are seriously compromised by cameras, lights and scaffolding.

Central Park West: Viewing starts at 75th Street (two blocks down from the official start of the parade) and is only open to the public on the west side. Central Park is closed for invite-only grandstand seating. The parade runs along this stretch from 9 to 10:30am, so early birds who don’t mind turning up at 6am to snag a prime spot should flock here.

Columbus Circle: The Shops at Columbus Circle open at 9am on Thanksgiving Day. From the second and third floors of the mall, you’ll enjoy an elevated view of the parade streaming down Central Park West. As an added bonus you’ll also get to see the Holiday Under the Stars light display. Twofer!

Sixth Avenue: The floats and balloons reach Sixth Avenue at about 9:30am, so arrive at this 21-block portion as late as 7am and you should still find a good spot. You can get a great view anywhere from 59th to 38th Sts.

This year, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade performers include Tony Bennett, Sarah McLaughlin and stars from Hamilton, but most important, it’s getting new balloons!

There was a test flight for the newbies this weekend at Citi Field to prep the balloons for the 90th annual parade and make sure they don’t blow it. Newcomers to the lineup include a new Diary of a Wimpy Kid balloon and characters from new Disney movie Trolls. There are also some oldies but goodies: Charlie Brown reappears after a four-year absence, and there’s a new replica of the very first Macy’s parade balloon, 1927’s Felix the Cat.