Macy’s gets the headlines — and in 2026 it earns them, with the 100th edition of its parade stepping off in New York on Thanksgiving morning. But it is not the only centennial on the street this year, and it is not even the oldest parade in the country. Detroit is also marching its 100th parade down Woodward Avenue, Philadelphia’s parade is older than both of them, and Chicago, Houston, Charlotte and St. Louis all stage Thanksgiving events with fiercely loyal hometown crowds.

This guide covers the major Thanksgiving events in the USA for 2026 beyond the New York flagship — the big parades, the turkey trots that precede them, and the lightings and river parades that carry the celebration through the weekend. For the New York parade itself, start with our complete Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 2026 guide, and if you are building a trip around any of these events, our roundup of the best places to spend Thanksgiving in 2026 is a good next read.

The Big Parades at a Glance

All of the Thanksgiving Day parades below take place on Thursday, November 26, 2026 — with two notable exceptions: Charlotte stages its parade under lights on Thanksgiving Eve, and St. Louis now holds its parade on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Start times are local.

Detroit: America’s Thanksgiving Parade Turns 100

Detroit’s America’s Thanksgiving Parade presented by Gardner White celebrates its 100th edition on Thursday, November 26, 2026, stepping off at 8:45 a.m. at Woodward Avenue and Kirby in Midtown and marching three miles south down Woodward to Congress, wrapping up just after noon past Campus Martius Park. Viewing is free along most of the route, and reserved grandstand seats are sold through The Parade Company.

The parade was started in 1924 by the J.L. Hudson Company department store — the same year Macy’s began in New York. Hudson’s display director Charles Wendel had seen Toronto’s Eaton’s Santa Claus Parade and craftsmen’s giant papier-mâché heads in Europe, and imported both ideas: the first Detroit parade featured ten floats, seven bands and four marchers wearing enormous papier-mâché heads. That tradition survives today in the Big Head Corps, whose oversized heads remain a Detroit signature alongside the Distinguished Clown Corps. The parade was suspended during World War II and resumed in 1945 — the wartime gap is why the 100th edition lands in 2026 rather than 2024 — and it is now produced by The Parade Company.

For 2026, expect the full formula at centennial scale: celebrity appearances, high-flying balloons, award-winning floats and thunderous marching bands. If you cannot be on Woodward, the parade is broadcast live on WDIV Local 4, streamed on ClickOnDetroit, and syndicated to markets across the country. Detroit also offers the best parade-morning warm-up in America — its turkey trot literally runs ahead of the parade, covered below.

Chicago: The 92nd Parade Down State Street

Chicago’s Thanksgiving Parade returns to State Street for its 92nd edition on Thursday, November 26, 2026. One change to note: the parade steps off at 7:40 a.m. from Ida B. Wells Drive — a full hour earlier than in recent years, per the organizer’s official FAQ — with the main program and live CBS Chicago broadcast running 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. The route runs north on State Street through the Loop to Randolph Street, passing the Chicago Theatre marquee and Macy’s on State Street.

The parade, organized by the Chicago Thanksgiving Parade Foundation and led by its official mascot, Teddy the Turkey, mixes giant helium balloons, floats, equestrian units and performance groups drawn from across Chicagoland and around the world. Street viewing is free along State Street from Ida B. Wells to Washington; the ticketed VIP TV Zone sits between Washington and Randolph in front of Macy’s, and is available to individual sponsors of the parade. Arrive early, dress for lake-effect wind off the river, and plan on public transit — downtown garages fill fast on parade morning.

Philadelphia: The Oldest Thanksgiving Parade in America

Philadelphia can claim what New York and Detroit cannot: the oldest Thanksgiving Day parade in the United States. The 6abc Dunkin’ Thanksgiving Day Parade, now in its 107th year, runs from 9:00 a.m. to noon on Thursday, November 26, 2026.

The parade was created in 1920 by Gimbels department store — four years before Macy’s and Hudson’s staged theirs — and it holds the distinction of having been held through the Great Depression and World War II, making it the longest continuously running Thanksgiving parade in the country. When Gimbels closed in 1986, WPVI-TV (6abc) stepped in to keep the tradition alive, with Dunkin’ as title sponsor since 2011.

The 1.4-mile route steps off at 20th Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard, rounds City Hall, and flows down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to finish in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where the telecast area and grandstand seating are located. The whole route is free and open to the public, and the Parkway’s wide, tree-lined blocks make it one of the easiest big parades in America to watch with kids. It airs live on 6abc and streams on 6abc’s platforms, including Hulu. Expect the Philadelphia formula: giant balloons, floats, choirs, tap dancers and marching bands, ending — as every Thanksgiving parade must — with the arrival of Santa Claus to officially open the holiday season.

Houston: The H-E-B Thanksgiving Day Parade

Houston’s H-E-B Thanksgiving Day Parade reaches its 77th edition on Thursday, November 26, 2026, stepping off at 9:00 a.m. from Smith Street at Lamar and looping through more than 20 downtown blocks. Produced by the City of Houston, the parade is free to watch along the entire route, with reserved grandstand seating available through the parade’s official site.

The tradition dates to 1949, and the 2026 parade leans into hometown pride: Houston-born star Lizzo serves as grand marshal, joined by 15 floats, 10 giant balloons, high school marching bands and dance and cultural performance groups from across the city. Hundreds of thousands of spectators typically line the route. The parade is broadcast live on ABC13 and streams on Disney+, so Gulf Coast families who cannot make it downtown still get the full show. Take the METRORail downtown if you can — lots near the route fill well before the 9:00 a.m. start.

More Parades Worth the Trip

Charlotte, NC — Novant Health Thanksgiving Eve Parade. Charlotte does Thanksgiving differently: its parade marches at night, on Thanksgiving Eve. The 80th annual edition lights up Tryon Street in Uptown on Wednesday, November 25, 2026, stepping off at 5:45 p.m. and airing live on WCCB at 6:00 p.m. The route runs from 9th Street to Good Samaritan Way; watching from the curb is free, and VIP bleacher seating is sold through the parade’s official site. First held in 1947 and rescued by title sponsor Novant Health in 2013, the parade bills itself as the fourth largest of its kind in the country and the largest in the Southeast — a nighttime spectacle of illuminated floats, balloons and bands that kicks off the holiday season a day early.

St. Louis, MO — Ameren Thanks-for-Giving Parade. St. Louis moved its Thanksgiving parade off the holiday itself: since 2025 it has been held on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, paired with the opening of downtown’s Winterfest at Kiener Plaza. The 2026 parade steps off at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 21, along Market Street downtown, with floats, drumlines, marching bands from across the region and Santa closing the show. More than four decades old, it is now the city’s official holiday-season kickoff rather than a pre-dinner appetizer — which makes it an easy add-on to a St. Louis weekend.

Plymouth, MA — America’s Hometown Thanksgiving Parade. In the town where the Thanksgiving story began, the parade is a history lesson on wheels. Held on Saturday, November 21, 2026 — opening ceremonies at 9:00 a.m., step-off at 10:00 a.m. from Plymouth Rock — the parade proceeds in chronological order, from the Native peoples of the 1600s and the Mayflower’s arrival through the Revolution to the modern era. Organizers describe it as one of the only historically accurate chronological Thanksgiving parades in the country. The 2026 edition is built around America’s 250th anniversary, with 25 floats and more than 20 musical groups; it airs live on WCVB Channel 5 Boston and streams on the organizers’ site and the Very Local app. Watching is free.

Turkey Trots: The Parade Before the Parade

For thousands of American towns, Thanksgiving morning starts not with a parade but with a starting line. The turkey trot — typically a 5K fun run, with 10K and one-mile options — has become the holiday’s great participatory tradition: costumes are encouraged (turkey hats are practically a uniform), many races benefit local food banks and charities, and everyone is home in time to cook.

Two flagship trots show the scale of the phenomenon. In Detroit, the Strategic Staffing Solutions Turkey Trot — the S3 Turkey Trot, now in its 44th year — is literally billed as “the parade before the parade.” On November 26, 2026, the 10K and the one-mile Mashed Potato Mile start at 7:30 a.m. and the Stuffing Strut 5K at 8:30 a.m., all finishing on Atwater behind Huntington Place; runners must clear Woodward Avenue by 9:10 a.m. so the centennial parade can follow them down the route. In Dallas, the YMCA Turkey Trot — first held in 1967 with 107 runners at White Rock Lake and now in its 59th year — is billed by its organizers as the largest Thanksgiving Day event of its kind in the country, drawing more than 20,000 participants for timed and untimed 5K and 8-mile runs from Dallas City Hall, with waves starting at 8:30 a.m.

Nearly every metro area and most mid-sized towns hold one. Search your local running club or parks department, register early — popular trots sell out — and expect the friendliest, most costumed field of the racing year.

After the Feast: Thanksgiving Weekend Events

The holiday does not end with dessert. Thanksgiving night in Kansas City belongs to the Evergy Plaza Lighting Ceremony, when the Country Club Plaza — the Spanish-inspired shopping district lit since 1925 — flips the switch on hundreds of thousands of bulbs outlining its towers and domes; the display then stays lit nightly into January. On Friday, November 27, San Antonio’s 45th annual Ford Holiday River Parade sends illuminated barges down the River Walk starting at 6:00 p.m., doubling as the official lighting ceremony for the roughly 200,000 lights in the cypress trees along the water.

Black Friday and Small Business Saturday anchor the weekend for shoppers, and by Saturday and Sunday, tree lightings and holiday markets are under way in most cities. We track the biggest ceremonies in our guide to Christmas tree lighting ceremonies in 2026.

Give an Hour Back: Volunteering

Thanksgiving events run on volunteers. The Parade Company in Detroit recruits volunteers aged 16 and up (under-18s apply with a parent or guardian) for the centennial parade, and parade organizers in most cities open applications months ahead — balloon handling and crowd-line roles go first. Closer to home, food banks, community kitchens and meal-delivery programs see their biggest week of the year and take extra hands for packing, serving and driving. An hour on Thanksgiving morning is a fine trade for a front-row seat to the holiday.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the oldest Thanksgiving Day parade in the United States? Philadelphia’s. The parade now known as the 6abc Dunkin’ Thanksgiving Day Parade was first held in 1920, created by Gimbels department store, and has been held through the Great Depression and World War II — making it both the oldest and the longest continuously running Thanksgiving parade in the country.

Which Thanksgiving parades turn 100 in 2026? Two of them. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York and Detroit’s America’s Thanksgiving Parade both began in 1924 and both celebrate their 100th editions in 2026 — in each case, wartime suspensions in the 1940s pushed the 100th parade to this year.

What time do the 2026 Thanksgiving parades start? On Thursday, November 26: Chicago steps off first at 7:40 a.m., Detroit at 8:45 a.m., and Philadelphia and Houston at 9:00 a.m. Charlotte’s parade is held the night before, stepping off at 5:45 p.m. on Wednesday, November 25.

Are Thanksgiving parades free to watch? Yes — every parade in this guide is free to watch from the street along its route. Detroit, Chicago, Houston and Charlotte also sell optional extras: reserved grandstand or VIP seating (and in Chicago, a sponsored VIP viewing zone) for those who want a guaranteed seat.

What is a turkey trot, and how do I join one? A turkey trot is a Thanksgiving morning fun run — usually a 5K, often with 10K and one-mile options — held in thousands of US communities. Most welcome walkers, strollers and costumes, and many raise money for local charities. Find yours through a local running store, YMCA or parks department, and register in advance; big-city trots like Detroit’s and Dallas’s can sell out.