Thanksgiving in NYC 2026: the 100th Macy's Parade and the long weekend

In 2025 the parade started at West 77th Street and Central Park West, went south on Central Park West to Columbus Circle, east along Central Park South, south on Sixth Avenue to 34th Street, and ended at Macy's Herald Square. Expect the same shape in 2026, but check macys.com/parade for the final map before you pick a corner.

The two public stretches that work best are Central Park West between about 75th and 61st Streets, and Sixth Avenue between 59th and 38th Streets. The start at 77th Street, Columbus Circle and 34th Street between Broadway and Seventh Avenue are closed to the public, so do not aim for them.

Central Park West has the park wall behind you and only one side of spectators, which makes it the easier choice with children. Sixth Avenue is lined with coffee shops, which matters at 7am in late November.

In 2025 inflation viewing ran from noon to 6pm. Visitors entered through a security checkpoint at West 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue, walked past the balloons on the streets between 77th and 81st, and exited between 82nd and 86th Streets. The loop took about 45 minutes. The B and C trains to 72nd Street are the closest.

The 2026 times had not been announced. Expect the centennial to draw an unusually large crowd; weekday afternoon is calmer than the last two hours.

Prospect Park Track Club's five-mile race loops the park in two waves. Regular bibs are $47 plus fees (the early-bird price has sold out), and $100 charity bibs benefit the American Indian Community House. Finishers get a wooden medal. The race usually sells out, there are no refunds or transfers, and you can pick up your bib at Brooklyn Running Company on November 22, 24 or 25, or on race morning from 7:15am.

Spectating is free, and the park's loop drive means you can cheer from almost anywhere along it.

The holiday shops are open from October 28, 2026 to January 3, 2027, weekdays 11am to 8pm and weekends 10am to 8pm. Skating is free if you bring your own skates and reserve a free ticket; rentals cost extra. The rink stays open until midnight from November 19 to January 3.

Union Square and Columbus Circle both say they are back in 2026. In 2025 Union Square opened in mid-November and Columbus Circle in early December; see our holiday markets guide for details.

A free harbor cruise past the Statue of Liberty, and a good way to walk off Thursday. It runs around the clock, holidays included.

The Rockefeller Center tree is usually lit the Wednesday after Thanksgiving, so on the long weekend it is up but dark. Several museums close on Thanksgiving Day itself — the Brooklyn Museum and the Bronx Museum among them — so check before you plan a Thursday afternoon visit.