Stuart the Minino is set to delight crowds at this year’s Thanksgiving parade
(Picture: Getty Images)It’s that time of the year again when New York lights up with an array of colours, balloons and music making its way across the glistening skyscrapers to celebrate the American holiday of Thanksgiving.
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a three-hour spectacle which travels around Manhattan and ends outside the US department store’s Herald Square flagship.
The parade is set to be a showstopper following several years of scaled-back events due to Covid restrictions.
It includes floats, giant balloons of cartoon characters — including Stuart the Minion, marching bands and costumed revellers all gearing up to put on a breath-taking display.
The Macy’s parade kicks off at 9am EST, or 2pm on this side of the Atlantic, but how can you watch it from the UK?
I have the best seat in the house for the Thanksgiving Day parade 😎
— Empire State Building (@EmpireStateBldg) November 23, 2022
📷: @CraigsBeds pic.twitter.com/UzNa62R3Yp
What is Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving is a national holiday in the United States.
The annual celebration sees friends and families gather together to enjoy a delicious meal, usually consisting of a large turkey, and giving thanks for the year’s bounty.
The origins of the day date back to 1621 when the pilgrims (British colonists) of Plymouth, Massachusetts, shared a harvest feast with the native Wampanoag people.
Since then, celebrations of families, gratefulness, food, American football and parades have become synonymous with Thanksgiving.
With Thanksgiving tomorrow I thought you would enjoy this video from the 1981 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. It’s not everyday you get to drive around on a giant turkey 🦃 pic.twitter.com/7vlrS2AbhK
— Donny Osmond (@donnyosmond) November 23, 2022
How to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade
To view the parade online, you can access it across a range of streaming platforms which carry NBC, including Paramount+, Peacock and streaming services that offer live TV content such as Hulu, YouTube TV, DirectTV Stream and Fubo.
This year’s parade will enjoy a performance from Mariah Carey, who will be joined by a number of other celebrities such as Gloria Estefan, Paula Abdul, Sean Paul, Ziggy Marley and Jordin Sparks.
The parade will include around 27 giant character blimps, 31 floats, seven balloonicles, 12 marching bands and the one and only Santa Claus.
Volunteers working on the parade include Macy’s staff, their friends and families.
If you are searching for places to celebrate Thanksgiving in London, then the capital has an array of restaurant options to fulfil your culinary needs.
