The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is celebrating its 89th anniversary, but many are concerned about the safety of the big event in the light of the Paris Attacks. For those that want to attend the even personally, NYPD Police Commissioner discusses the situation. The following is the agenda of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Schedule and Lineup with a Route Map, New Giant Balloons, New Floats, Celebrity guest stars, as well as an NBC TV Schedule for LiveStreaming and How to Watch Online for those that want to watch the parade at home in front of the TV or computer.
CBS News New York has quoted NYPD Police Commissioner Bill Bratton saying that he has "no concerns about security" for the upcoming Thanksgiving Day Parade. On the day before, thousands of officers will be patrolling the parade route in Manhattan, and the executive producer of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Amy Kule, said they were working closely with the NYPD after the Paris attacks.
Bratton has also stated that this will be the first year that an additional 1,300 officers who are assigned to counterterrorism-related units will be dispatched to the parade. As a sign of his assurance of safety at the parade, Bratton said that he will be watching the event with his grandchildren with him.
For those that are interested in watching the parade live, the Official Macy's Parade website says that the Parade will Kick-off at 77th Street and Central Park West at 9 AM ET. After heading down Central Park West, it turns at Columbus Circle onto Central Park South for a good view. Then the Parade veers South to 6th Avenue, with a great view from 59th to 38th Avenue streets. If you plan on attending personally, you should plan on avoid watching from 6th Avenue between 34th-38th Streets and Macy's Herald Square, as the national television broadcast limits viewing here. At 34th Street, the Parade makes its final turn and stops in front of Macy's Herald Square. Plan, where you want to watch carefully, as 3 million people, will be wanting to see this NYC tradition as well.
As far as what is at the parade, there is a lot to see. We have previously written about all the events that are slated to appear, and you can find out more here. As the NBC website states, some of these guests and events are scheduled to change.
As for those who are more interested in watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade at home, it will air on NBC from 9 AM to 12 PM, and that is both Eastern and Pacific Time. That means that it should be on at the same time no matter where you are in the United States. It will be hosted by the TODAY Show's Matt Lauer, Al Roker, and Savannah Guthrie.
So far, there doesn't seem to be any official news about Live Streaming of the Parade or How to Watch Online. There is a definite camera at EarthCam that is set up to show the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, and there might be more information posted on NBC's official Macy's Thanksgiving Day page as the event gets closer.
