Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to go virtual due to ongoing pandemic
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 2020 will go ahead, but virtually.
The annual New York tradition will look a little different this year — like literally everything else right now. The department store announced Monday that due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the parade will not take place live in the streets of Manhattan like it has done for 94 years, but it will still appear online and on television in some capacity.
Related video: Snacks to enjoy during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
The reimagined event will be staged similarly to the Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks, which saw performances staged and recorded across the five boroughs in the days leading up to the holiday and only lasted five minutes to avoid crowds gathering. "Following our successful, safe and innovative production of Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks, it is our intention to similarly reimagine Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade this November," said Macy's in a statement.
More details for how the retail store will pull off the parade are not yet clear, but Mayor Bill de Blasio made the point that live, mass gatherings are impossible with COVID-19 still present. "It will not be the same parade we're used to," he said during a press conference Monday. "[Macy's] is reinventing the event for this moment in history and you will be able to feel the spirit and the joy of that day on television, online — not a live parade, but something that will really give us that warmth and that great feeling we have on Thanksgiving Day."
Join me at City Hall. https://t.co/GpdIQJTv3s
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) September 14, 2020
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will air Nov. 26 on NBC.
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