This year, Macy’s 94th annual Thanksgiving Day Parade will air from 9 a.m. to noon, Thursday, Nov. 26th, on NBC. It will look much like the 2019 parade—on your television set.  
But because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the reality on the ground will be very, very different. This year, all activity will be centered on the Herald Square area in Midtown—and the only way to view the event will be on television. Fewer than 2,000 people will work on the parade. Some segments of the program will be filmed over two days, though most of the action will take place live on Thanksgiving Day.  Typically, the parade’s large balloons are anchored by up to 100 trained handlers and a vehicle; this year the balloons will be anchored by five specially-rigged vehicles.