Best Way to Watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade - Secrets Only Locals Know
First things first… You are now in New York City. Do Not Follow The Crowds! You know that saying “herd mentality,” well this is so true in NYC especially during the Holiday Season. People blindly follow each other around assuming they know where they are going. Nope, they probably don’t, so follow my wisdom instead. Be like a local and go around the masses! I’m going to tell you exactly what you need to do this year for the best way to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade so that you can get the best seat in the house and you can see all of the balloons without having to stay in those crazy crowds!
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One of my favorite things to do when I’m in town for Thanksgiving is to watch Macy’s blow up the balloons the day before the parade! It’s absolutely FREE to get up close and personal with some of your favorite balloons! They do this up towards the beginning of the parade over by the Natural History Museum!
- Macy's Balloons Inflation
This year the inflation of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Balloons is happening on Nov 22nd from Noon to 6pm. It’s really well organized with a fenced in line that takes you around each of the balloons. There is no rush, so feel free to walk around people or stand and observe as long as you like. The entrance is located at the corner of West 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue and the path will wind you around the Natural History Museum, spitting you out at West 81st Street and Central Park West.
The route guides you in one direction, but they have local food trucks and snacks with a whole festival kind of feel around it. There’s always someone selling light up toys and trinkets. It’s really cool.
Generally, the balloons start getting blown up between 1pm and 3pm, so try to go on the later side because that’s when you’re going to be able to see most of the balloons blown up, which is way better than the deflated and flat on the road. Most of the masses will have kind of started to fizzle out towards the end too and headed off to dinner reservations. Make sure you take your time and take tons of pictures, and don’t let the masses rush you.
Each of the balloons will have a sign next to them that tells you some of their history. They will tell you when the balloon first went up in the air and things like that so it’s really cool! They tell you a lot of things about the balloons other than just showing you what it looks like when they get blown up. But, that’s one of the coolest parts is seeing just how huge these balloons are! When you stand next to them it will really blow your mind!
Also since it is over by the Natural History Museum, keep an eye out to see the Christmas Dinosaur trees.
- Best Place to Watch the Parade
Now as I said before, we are going to avoid the crowds like a local, so let’s talk where to see the balloons on the day of the parade. It’s going to drive you crazy trying to get around roadblocks especially if you’re with your family and everything. So, instead of going on the main route, you’re going to head over into Central Park (not Central Park West the street, don’t go on the main road.) You’re going to actually go into Central Park itself.
Now just to remind you, everything is fenced off on the roads so you cannot get through. They don’t even let you cross the street during the parade. They’re very strict about this. So, that being said, you’re going to enter from either the 72nd Street area entrance from the East Side since all the stuff is going on on the West Side. It will be easier to stick to the East Side in general. You can take the green subway line up to 86th Street and enter from that area too to really avoid the crowds.
Then you’re going to walk all the way over to the West Side of the park. From inside the park, there is a stone wall that separates the crowds of the street from where you are, so you can easily make your way around to where you want to watch the parade. You can even follow your favorite balloon all the way down to 59th street Columbus Circle. If you think about it the street is right on the other side of the wall so it’s like you are almost on the sidewalk as well. You can easily find the gaps in the trees to get your best view!
From here, it’s MUCH easier to find one of the public bathrooms inside Central Park. You won’t be fighting the traffic of the main roads or get annoyed trying to cross the street. You can even pick a spot on the grass or up on a boulder and have a picnic.
Generally speaking, it is pretty cold on Macy’s Day Thanksgiving Parade day so make sure you bundle up with layers and boots. Bring an umbrella or poncho just in case depending on the weather. Since it is a park it does tend to get muddy.
After the parade, they let you go into the street to enjoy the festivities while they are cleaning the streets. It’s crazy just how fast they clean up after the parade is finished!
- How to Cross the Street
This secret tip only locals know is going to save you so much time and headaches. During the parade, they do not let you cross the street. If they do, it will be at major road crossings, so you will have to walk all the way down to that spot to get across. If you’ve seen my videos, then you know to have an unlimited rides Metro Card for the subways. Every Express Stop will have access from either side of the street. Some stations let you walk through the subway without having to pay. You can go down into the subway and come out on the other side. It’s the easiest way to get around trust me especially around 42nd Street, 34th Street, and 59th Street where all the main commotion is going on. This means you have “Uptown” and “Downtown” entrance areas.
For example, you can go in on the Uptown side and then come out on the Downtown side (so basically what you’re doing is going under the street so you’re crossing the street from underground in the subway.)
For the majority of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the main roads around the parade route will be cut off starting a few hours before the parade starts to try to manage foot traffic. You’re not going to be able to get anywhere close to the main action once the parade starts unless you’re already there or you come out one of the subway entrances. However, they start closing subway entrances with direct access to the parade route off as well. This is why I think it’s more fun to watch the parade from inside Central Park.
If you want more tips on using Public Transportation in NYC, check out this video….
- Seeing the Balloons Deflate
Why not continue the journey of the balloons all the way to the end. You’ve seen the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloons inflated, paraded, now see what happens after they perform! They are actually immediately deflated! It happens right behind Macy’s on 34th Street. They take a turn back up the street and head over to around West 36th Street and 7th Avenue. It’s really funny if you get a chance to go over there and check it out because you get to see random parts deflate faster than other parts and it just looks really funny.
- Where's the Bathroom in NYC?
If you do get a chance to get up front an personal at one of the major spots to watch the parade, do not drink water becasue there are not a lot of public restrooms and you won’t be able to get back to your spot once you leave it! The easiest bathrooms to use during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade are going to be in Herald Square and Columbus Circle. The old “Manhattan Mall” building is around 32nd and Broadway so that will definitely have public restrooms with less of a line, as do a number of big stores in that area like Target. Around 59th Street Columbus Circle there are The Shops at Columbus Circle which is a mall with plenty of bathrooms.
I hope this post has given you some insight on how to get around and survive during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade! It really is a once in a lifetime good time if you do it right! I really felt blessed to be able to see it as many times as I did while I lived in New York City! I know you’ll enjoy it as much as I did!
If you have any questions feel free to message me on social media. You never know who else has the same questions!
For more things to do while you’re in New York City, check out these other videos!
Thanks! - Emily
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