This year, New Yorkers are thankful for free over-the-air broadcast television. (And Manhattanite cord-cutters who are not enterprising enough to get an antenna are thankful for livestreaming.) That’s because while there is technically no 2.5-mile march this year in an effort to discourage crowds, the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will go on.
The 94th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade airs Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon ET (live)/PT (tape-delayed) on NBC, with a re-airing at 2 p.m. local time. The festivities will be hosted by Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker. Jimmy Fallon and The Roots will open the show.
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will air in Spanish on NBCUniversal-owned Telemundo. That version will be hosted by Adamari Lopez, Jessica Carrillo, Rodner Figueroa and Nastassja Bolivar.
For the fifth consecutive year, NBCU and Verizon, are partnering on “Verizon Live: Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade” which will be streamed beginning at 9 a.m. ET on YouTube.com/Verizon, on Twitter @Verizon and on select Verizon Media properties, including Yahoo.
Mario Lopez will host that one, and viewers can get 360-degree views of Herald Square in either 4G or 5G. A QR code will be available within the livestream for the second-screen experience.
Watch Verizon’s live stream via the video above.
Additionally, for the first time ever, the full NBC broadcast will be presented with live audio description on the Secondary Audio Program channel (SAP), “describing the rich visuals of the parade including the magnificent balloons, floats and performances, to complement the storytelling and celebration.” That’s to enhance the experience of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for blind and vision-impaired viewers.
Among the giant character balloons and adorning floats in the 2020 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will be humans Lauren Alaina, Ally Brooke, Sofia Carson, CNCO, Karol G, Tori Kelly, Patti LaBelle, Miss America 2020 Camille Schrier, Matthew Morrison, the cast and Muppets of “Sesame Street,” Leslie Odom Jr., Keke Palmer, Dolly Parton, Pentatonix, Bebe Rexha, Jordin Sparks, Sebastián Yatra and Brett Young. The casts of Broadway musicals “Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations,” “Hamilton,” “Jagged Little Pill” and “Mean Girls” are going to perform, as will the Radio City Rockettes.
Oh yeah, and when it is all said and done, Santa Claus will come to town and the end of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Buddy, we’ve never needed you more.