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Chicago Thanksgiving Parade 2023

Live Stream and TV coverage. Parade lineup, route, start time and best viewing points

Chicago State Street

Thanksgiving in Chicago is marked by the huge and enduring popular Thanksgiving Day parade on the city's famous State Street, aptly named 'Where Grateful Hearts Gather', where it has been taking place since 1934 and will be watched live by crowds of hundreds of thousands, with millions more watching on TV and online via the free live stream. The total audience for this parade has been estimated at an incredible 4 million.

The main features of this incredible parade include large helium filled balloons that lead off the parade, most notably that of the official parade mascot Teddy Turkey.

The parade also includes marching bands, dance groups, local sports teams, equestrian groups and around 100 floats. It is actually one parade that it is possible to apply to take part in, with applications taken via the event's official website.

Date

The Chicago parade is on Thanksgiving Day as always, which in 2023 falls on Thursday 23rd November.

Start time

The parade steps off at 8am and will be completed by 11am.

Parade Route

It's a very straight forward route that the parade takes, progressing down State Street from Congress Parkway to Randolph Street.

Large Balloons

There are some fabulous giant helium ballons scheduled this year, including The Cookie Monster, Teddy the Turkey, The Cat in the Hat, Kermit, Garfield, The Yuletide Yeti, Peppa Pig, Cheer Bear, The Grinch.

Best Viewing Spots

In terms of viewing points, the best advice is to get there early to secure a decent spot, with total viewer numbers estimated at up to half a million, people generally start arriving around 6am.

Popular areas tend to be on the eastern side of State Street, in between Congress Parkway and Harrison, and on one of the corners of State Street and Van Buren.

TV & Live Streaming

The Thanksgiving parade is one of the most widely watched in the United States, thanks in large part to the TV broadcast by Chicago channel WGN Channel 9.

This year, you can also watch live with CW26 on channel 26.1 or through Hulu+Live

It should also be broadcast live on PlutoTV:

Another viewing option you might like to consider for a different perspective on the parade is to check out some of the live streaming webcams in the area. There are several in excellent positions, including at Macy's right on State Street:

Chicago webcams

Hotels and Accommodation

If you're in Chicago for Thanksgiving then be aware that it is a chilly time of year so plan accordingly. The local hotels do get busy for this period so you will need to make your reservations as far is advance as possible to get the best prices. You can search and check availability for local hotels here.

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