Skip to content
Things To Do
Link copied to clipboard

What to see, what to do at the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade

What would Thanksgiving be without the traditional Thanksgiving Day Parade? Before you gorge in the year’s best meal, hit the parade route on Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, Nov. 27, grab those hand warmers, and take in the sights from 8:30 a.m. until noon.

    by Allie Volpe
    Published 

What would Thanksgiving be without the traditional Thanksgiving Day Parade? Before you gorge in the year's best meal, hit the parade route on Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, Nov 27, grab those hand warmers and take in the sights from 8:30 a.m. until noon.

The Route
The parade begins at 20th Street and JFK Boulevard towards 16th Street where it then turns left and then left again on Arch Street, followed by yet another left onto the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, where it continues toward the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Thanksgiving Day Zone
Throughout the entirety of the parade, The Oval (at Eakins Oval on the Parkway) will welcome performers, live animals from the Philadelphia Zoo, a kids' zone featuring activities from the Franklin Institute, and A.C. Moore, photo booth, Dunkin' Donuts samples and more.

Performers
Top talent from around the nation will entertain the masses. Here's just a selection:

  1. Philadelphia Gay Men's Chorus

  2. PowerTaps Cloggers (Woodstock, Ga.)

  3. DaVonda Simmons

  4. Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts dancers

  5. Pennsbury High School Band (Fairless Hills, Pa.)

  6. Tate High School Band (Cantonment, Fla.)

  7. Boardman High School Band (Youngstown, Ohio)

  8. Step by Step Dance Center (Philadelphia, Pa.)

  9. On Edge Movement (Oaks, Pa.)

  10. Dance 4 Life (Wilmington, Del.)

  11. On Pointe Dance Center (Blackwood, N.J.)

  12. LuLu Shrine Klownz (Richboro, Pa.)

  13. West Chester University Color Guard (West Chester, Pa.)

  14. Mast Community Charter School Choir (Philadelphia, Pa.)

  15. Ardmore Avenue Elementary School Choir (Lansdowne, Pa.)

  16. Hammonton High School Choir (Hammonton, N.J.)

  17. And more!

Special guests
Some A-Listers who'll strut down the route and make appearances include some of the following:

  1. Ginger Zee from "Good Morning America"

  2. Lance Bass

  3. Kira Kazantsev, Miss America

  4. Jerry Blavat

  5. Charlie McDermott from ABC's "The Middle"

  6. Santa and Mrs. Claus

  7. Disney on Ice: "Frozen"

  8. Candice Glover, winner of Season 12 of "American Idol"

  9. Motown the Musical

  10. Walnut Street Theatre's "Mary Poppins"

  11. Disney characters

  12. Eagles Cheerleaders

  13. Sesame Place characters

  14. And more!

Floats & Balloons
Here are a few of our favorite larger-than-life movie characters and decorated parade staples prepped to make an appearance on Thursday.

  1. Mr. Potato Head

  2. Clifford

  3. Under the Sea float

  4. Patriotic Liberty float

  5. Grinch

  6. Dunkin Donuts float

  7. Bob the Builder

  8. Strawberry Shortcake

  9. Polar Bear float

  10. Gingerbread House float

  11. Garfield Santa

  12. The Lorax

  13. And more!

Parking
Woo hoo — metered street parking is free on Thanksgiving! (Though still abide by those "No Parking" signs.)

Starting Wednesday, Nov. 26, don't plan on leaving any vehicles at the following locations:

  1. JFK Boulevard from 19th Street to 30th Street on both sides

  2. 20th Street from Market Street to the Parkway

  3. Arch Street between 19th and 22nd Streets

  4. Race Street between 16th and 17th Streets

  5. 17th Street from Vine to Race Streets

  6. Vine Street from 15th to 17th Streets on eastbound lanes only

  7. Market Street between 20th and 21st Streets until 8 a.m. Thursday