The parade starts at 9am sharp on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, November 28), but if you’ll be one of the 3.5 million-plus Americans attending, your day must begin hours earlier. To get guaranteed glimpses of the (balloon and float) stars–Spider-Man, Buzz Lightyear, Tom Turkey, Hello Kitty, the Sesame Street team, and Sonic the Hedgehog, just to name a few of the familiar faces–you’ll want to plan on showing up around 6 am. 
Most likely, the crowds will be thick all along the race route (the parade starts at 77th Street and Central Park West and heads downtown to Central Park South, where it travels east to Sixth Avenue, ending in Herald Square), but arriving on the sidelines early will help your chances of getting in on as much of the excitement as possible.
Check out our tips and ideas for enhancing your parade-viewing experience:
Is There a Schedule? Where’s the new Snoopy?
Before you go, prepare yourself: download the Macy’s free parade app, which offers complete information on the lineup, schedule, and route. That way, when your kids are asking when the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be passing by, you can answer confidently.
What? There’s a pre-party?
Consider checking out the balloon inflation on the UWS the night before. In case your crew isn’t able to stick it out for the parade’s entire three hours, you can be satisfied that you saw Jack & Finn, Ronald McDonald, and Papa Smurf come to life before they hit the streets. This fun pre-parade event takes place from 3-10 pm, and this year, given that Hanukkah overlaps with Thanksgiving, there’ll be a special dreidel balloncicle (a balloon and self-propelled vehicle).
Who are the hot performers this year?
The lineup of performers is especially outstanding this year and really runs the gamut in terms of variety. Kelli Pickler, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Gavin Degraw, Fall Out Boy, and the Goo Goo Dolls are just a few of the big names headlining the massive parade.
Who else should we look out for?
In addition to the floats, balloons, and big-time performers, Miss America 2014, Nina Davuluri will be there. There’ll be marching bands, and clowns, and ballooncicles. Plus, performance artists like the All That! Clogging Group hailing from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, will be strutting their highly entertaining stuff. 
What if we can’t watch it in person?
It’s ok: you can always catch the parade–in its 87th impressive year–from the comfort of your own home. Pop the turkey in the oven, put out some eggplant and kale chips for the family, and wait and see the holiday-themed SpongeBob SquarePants float on by the screen. Photos courtesy of Macys.com
