Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in NYC: 2023 route, street closures, balloons, performances and more

NEW YORK - The 97th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is right around the corner.

This year’s parade will feature 16 giant character balloons, 26 floats, 32 novelty and heritage inflatables, 12 marching bands, 700 clowns, and eight performance groups.

For the first time, the parade will begin at 8:30 a.m. ET, half an hour earlier than in previous years.

Here's everything you need to know about the parade route, New York City street closures, this year's floats, performances and more:

Parade route 

The parade's 2.5-mile route starts at West 77th Street and Central Park West on Manhattan's Upper West Side.

It will first head south down Central Park West for 18 blocks to Columbus Circle.

From Columbus Circle, the parade turns onto Central Park South and heads east to 6th Avenue.

From Central Park South and 6th Avenue, the Parade turns onto 6th Avenue and heads south to 34th Street.

Then the parade marches south from 6th Avenue for 25 blocks to 34th Street.

From 34th Street, the parade turns west onto 7th Avenue. 

The parade's ending point is Macy's Herald Square at 34th Street and 7th Avenue.

For more details, click here.

Easiest ways to get to the parade:

FOX 5 NY's Ines Rosales says the closest subway stations to the start of the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade are the 1, 2, and 3​​​ at 72 Street, the 1​ at 79 Street, the ​C at 81 Street, and the ​​​​1, C, A, and D at 59 St-Columbus Circle.

There will also be additional service on the S 42 Street Shuttle as well as increased early morning service on the 1 line to accommodate parade-goers. 

In order to prevent overcrowding on stairways and platforms, some subway entrances at 59 St-Columbus Circle will be closed. 

Trains will bypass the 72 St C between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. In addition, select exits and entrances will be closed at Penn Station, and other stations along the Sixth Avenue line. 

There will not be service to 57 Street/6 Avenue on that day as the F is currently rerouted over the E and the M will not be operating to Midtown on Thanksgiving Day.

What streets will be closed? 

The following streets will be closed for the Thanksgiving Day Parade at the discretion of the NYPD, according to the city:

Formation:

• Columbus Avenue between 72nd Street and 83rd Street
• Central Park West between 81st Street and 86th Street
• 82nd Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West
• 81st Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue
• 77th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue
• 76th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue
• 75th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue
• 74th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue
• 72nd Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue
• 71st Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue
• 68th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue
• 62nd Street between Central Park West and Broadway
• 61st Street between Central Park West and Broadway
• 59th Street between 6th Avenue and 5th Avenue

Route:

• Central Park West between 81st Street and East Side of Columbus Circle/59th Street
• Columbus Circle between 59th Street and Broadway
• 59th Street between Columbus Circle and 6th Avenue
• 6th Avenue between 59th Street and 34th Street
• 34th Street between 6th Avenue and 7th Avenue

Dispersal:

• 33rd Street between 6th Avenue and 10th Avenue
• 34th Street between 7th Avenue and 8th Avenue
• 34th Street between 6th Avenue and 5th Avenue
• 35th Street between 5th Avenue and 8th Avenue
• 36th Street between Broadway and 8th Avenue
• 37th Street between Broadway and 8th Avenue
• 38th Street between Broadway and 8th Avenue
• 39th Street between Broadway and 8th Avenue
• 40th Street between Broadway and 8th Avenue
• 41st Street between 7th Avenue and 8th Avenue
• 7th Avenue between 31st Street and 41st Street
• Broadway between 45th Street and 34thStreet

Miscellaneous (Formation and Dispersal):

• 58th Street between 6th Avenue and 5th Avenue
• 43rd Street between 6th Avenue and Broadway
• 40th Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue
• 39th Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue
• 38th Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue
• 37th Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue
• 36th Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue
• 32nd Street between 6th Avenue and 7th Avenue
• 6th Avenue between 32nd Street and 34th Street
• 8th Avenue between 40th Street and 33rd Street
• Broadway between 33rd Street and 34th Street
• Grand Army Plaza between 59th Street and Plaza Street

Additional Locations

• 86th Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West
• 85th Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West
• 84th Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West
• 83rd Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West
• 73rd Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West
• 70th Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West
• 69th Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West
• 67th Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West
• 66th Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West
• 65th Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West
• 64th Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West
• 63rd Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West
• 62nd Street between Columbus Avenue and Broadway
• 61st Street between Columbus Avenue and Broadway
• 60th Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West
• Grand Army Plaza between 59th Street and 58th Street
• 58th Street between 6th Avenue and 5th Avenue
• 57th Street between 7th Avenue and 5th Avenue
• 56th Street between 7th Avenue and 5th Avenue
• 55th Street between 7th Avenue and 5th Avenue
• 54th Street between 7th Avenue and 5th Avenue
• 53rd Street between 7th Avenue and 5th Avenue
• 52nd Street between 7th Avenue and 5th Avenue
• 51st Street between 7th Avenue and 5th Avenue
• 50th Street between 7th Avenue and 5th Avenue
• 49th Street between 7th Avenue and 5th Avenue
• 48th Street between 7th Avenue and 5th Avenue
• Rockefeller Plaza between 51st Street and 48th Street
• 47th Street between 7th Avenue and 5th Avenue
• 46th Street between 7th Avenue and 5th Avenue
• 45th Street between 7th Avenue and 5th Avenue
• 44th Street between 7th Avenue and 5th Avenue
• 43rd Street between 6th Avenue and 5th Avenue
• 42nd Street between 7th Avenue and 5th Avenue
• 40th Street between 6th Avenue and 5th Avenue
• 39th Street between 6th Avenue and 5th Avenue
• 38th Street between 6th Avenue and 5th Avenue
• 37th Street between 6th Avenue and 5th Avenue
• 36th Street between 6th Avenue and 5th Avenue
• 35th Street between 6th Avenue and 5th Avenue
• 33rd Street between 6th Avenue and 5th Avenue
• 6th Avenue between 33rd Street and 32nd Street
• Columbus Avenue between 72nd Street and 58th Street
• Columbus Avenue between 86th Street and 83rd Street

Where are the Macy's balloons inflated?

To watch the Macy's balloons get inflated, head to the viewing area at 72nd Street and Central Park West.

The inflation is open to the public from noon until 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 22.

The balloon viewing path winds around the American Museum of Natural History. Volunteers will be there to help assist.

Spectators will exit the viewing area at West 81st Street and Central Park West.

Fun fact: It takes about 90 minutes to inflate each balloon.

Balloons and floats

Seven new balloon giants will join the lineup: "Beagle Scout Snoopy," "Blue Cat & Chugs," "Kung Fu Panda’s Po," "Leo," "Monkey D. Luffy," "Pillsbury Doughboy" and "Uncle Dan."

Returning giant balloons include "Bluey," "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," "Paw Patrol," "Ryan's World," "Pikachu," "Ronald McDonald," "Stuart the Minion" and "SpongeBob SquarePants."

Floats include ones from brands like Lego, "Peanuts," "Baby Shark," "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" and "Sesame Street."

Celebrity performances

The parade will be kicked off by multi-instrumentalist and Grammy-winner Jon Batiste.

There will be appearances by Bell Biv DeVoe, Brandy, Chicago, En Vogue, ENHYPEN, David Foster and Katharine McPhee, Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors, Jessie James Decker, Ashley Park with some Muppets from "Sesame Street," Pentatonix, Paul Russell, Amanda Shaw and Alex Smith, and Manuel Turizo.

Broadway will be represented by performances from "& Juliet," "Back to the Future: The Musical," "How To Dance In Ohio," "Shucked" and "Spamalot," with an appearance by Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells of "Gutenberg! The Musical!" 

And of course, Santa to kick off the holiday season.

This year Santa will be accompanied on his sleigh by the one and only Cher, who is preparing to release a 25th-anniversary edition of her Grammy-winning album "Believe" and just dropped her first new album in five years, "Christmas."

Click here for a full list of performances.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.