Thanksgiving in New York: the Macy's Parade and everything else around it
By half past five on Thanksgiving morning, Central Park West and Sixth Avenue are already filling in the dark. Blankets, no chairs, three hours before the first balloon moves.
And the bleachers you see on television aren't for sale. Those are for NYPD, FDNY, Sanitation and Macy's own staff. No amount of money buys a seat in them.
Which is why we do this the way we do. Three to five nights, your own guide, a hotel we've actually been inside, and a parade morning chosen to suit the people travelling rather than whatever came bundled. Stay longer if you want to. Some do.
What the Thanksgiving package™ is built on
Most guests take four nights, arriving Wednesday and leaving Sunday. That gives you the parade on Thursday, Black Friday if you want it, and the weekend while the city starts putting up its Christmas decorations. Three nights works, five is better, and plenty of guests extend.
Accommodation in a four-star superior, five-star or ultra-luxury hotel, all from our own preferred network. Private airport transfers both ways. One private tour with your own guide. And a local team who know your booking by name, before and during the stay.
From $1,995 per person in a four-star superior, two sharing. From $2,750 per person in a five-star. Parties of three or more pay less per head. Ultra-luxury hotels and suites are quoted individually.
Those are starting ranges. What we actually do is build the stay around the people travelling, so this is where the interesting part begins.
The parade is one morning. The rest of the week is yours.
Tell us your dates and who is travelling, and we will build the whole stay around the morning you want.
Start with a quote
The parade morning
Parade viewing is arranged separately and priced per guest. We book it only for guests whose whole stay we're handling, because the good positions are limited and we'd rather keep them for people we're already looking after.
There are four broad tiers, and which one suits you has less to do with budget than you'd expect.
Worth knowing. Viewing prices climb as the date approaches and availability thins. Positions that start in one tier can comfortably double by November. This is the part of the trip where booking early saves real money.
Tier one
$750 – $1,050
per person
A confirmed position directly on the route, with snacks, passed bites and drinks rather than a sit-down meal. You are there for the parade. Some of these have sightlines every bit as good as the tiers above them.
Tier two
$1,200 – $1,800
per person
A reserved seat, indoor access or a covered position, and proper food. Families usually end up here. Somewhere warm to go, a real bathroom, and nobody standing outside for three hours in November.
Tier three
$2,600 – $3,700
per person
Restaurant service through the morning in a prime position, with hospitality running before and after the parade passes. Some are street level with an outdoor terrace, others upper-floor rooms looking down the length of the procession.
Tier four · private hire
From $25,000
up to 10 guests
Your own space on the route, typically $25,000 to $50,000 depending on the venue and what you want served. There are very few of these and they need arranging early. If you're hosting clients, ask about this one first.
Why 2026 is different
This year is the hundredth parade. Not the hundredth anniversary, which is the part most people get wrong.
The first one ran in 1924. But there was no parade in 1942, 1943 or 1944, because Macy's gave the balloon rubber and the helium to the war effort. Count only the years it actually happened and you land on 2026.
Which means this one will be bigger, busier and booked earlier than any parade in living memory.
HIGHLIGHTS
REQUEST YOUR PERSONALISED THANKSGIVING PACKAGE
Tell us your dates, how many of you there are, and roughly the kind of hotel you have in mind. We'll come back within a day with a starting range. There's no charge, and nothing is committed.