The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will take over Manhattan streets on Thursday with paradegoers, floats, giant balloons, music and more.

The 98th annual parade will kick off the 2.5-mile route at 8:30 a.m. on West 77th Street and Central Park West. It then heads toward Columbus Circle, where the procession turns onto Central Park South.

When the parade hits Sixth Avenue, it will continue to 34th Street. The route concludes with its final turn before stopping in front of Macy’s Herald Square.

The parade will end at approximately noon with an appearance by Santa Claus to kick off the holiday season in the city.

With many streets in the area expected to be closed because of the parade, mass transit will be the best way to reach the route if you are planning on attending. Here’s what to expect for your commute.

Getting to the parade using public transportation

On Thanksgiving Day, subways and buses across the city will operate on a Sunday schedule, and the Staten Island Railway will operate on a Saturday schedule, according to the MTA.

Metro-North and the Long Island Rail Road will offer additional trains for commuters before and after the parade, the MTA said.

The closest subway stations to the parade are the 1/2/3 train station at 72nd Street; the 1 train station at 79th Street; and the A/C/D train at 59th Street-Columbus Circle.

According to the MTA, there will be additional service on the 42nd Street Shuttle, and increased morning service on the 1 train. The A/C trains will bypass the 81st Street-Museum of Natural History station between 4 and 11 a.m., the MTA said.

To prevent overcrowding on platforms, the MTA said some subway entrances will be closed at 59th Street-Columbus Circle and at Penn Station. Some entrances will also be closed at other stations along Sixth Avenue, the MTA said.

For bus service in Manhattan, riders may deal with delays, and service will be affected by reroutes, detours and/or frozen zones, especially those routes operating near the parade. Check new.mta.info for additional info.

Street closures

Below are the streets that will be closed for the parade at the discretion of the NYPD, according to the city’s Department of Transportation.

Formation:

  • Columbus Avenue between 72nd and 83rd streets

  • Central Park West between 81st and 86th streets

  • 83rd Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue

  • 82nd Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue

  • 81st Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue

  • 77th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue

  • 76th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue

  • 75th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue

  • 74th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue

  • 72nd Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue

  • 71st Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue

  • 68th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue

  • 62nd Street between Central Park West and Broadway

  • 61st Street between Central Park West and Broadway

  • 59th Street between Sixth Avenue and Fifth Avenue

Route:

  • Central Park West between 81st Street and east side of Columbus Circle/59th Street

  • Columbus Circle

  • 59th Street between Columbus Circle and Sixth Avenue

  • Sixth Avenue between 59th and 34th streets

  • 34th Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues

Dispersal:

  • 33rd Street between Fifth and 10th avenues

  • 34th Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues

  • 34th Street between Sixth and Fifth avenues

  • 35th Street between Sixth and Eighth avenues

  • 36th Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue

  • 37th Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue

  • 38th Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue

  • 39th Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue

  • 40th Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue

  • 41st Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue

  • Seventh Avenue between 31st and 41st streets

  • Broadway between 45th and 34th streets

Miscellaneous (formation and dispersal):

  • 58th Street between Ninth and Fifth avenues

  • 43rd Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues

  • 40th Street between Broadway and Sixth Avenue

  • 39th Street between Broadway and Sixth Avenue

  • 38th Street between Broadway and Sixth Avenue

  • 37th Street between Broadway and Sixth Avenue

  • 36th Street between Broadway and Sixth Avenue

  • 32nd Street between Broadway and Seventh Avenue

  • Sixth Avenue between 32nd and 34th streets

  • Eighth Avenue between 41st and 33rd streets

  • Broadway between 32nd and 34th streets

  • Broadway between Columbus Circle and 58th Street

  • Eighth Avenue between Columbus Circle and 58th Street

  • Grand Army Plaza between 59th Street and Fifth Avenue

Additional locations: 

  • 86th Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West

  • 85th Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West

  • 84th Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West

  • 73rd Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West

  • 70th Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West

  • 69th Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West

  • 67th Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West

  • 66th Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West

  • 65th Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West

  • 64th Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West

  • 63rd Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West

  • 62nd Street between Columbus Avenue and Broadway

  • 61st Street between Columbus Avenue and Broadway

  • 60th Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West

  • Grand Army Plaza between 59th and 58th streets

  • 57th Street between Seventh and Fifth avenues

  • 56th Street between Seventh and Fifth avenues

  • 55th Street between Seventh and Fifth avenues

  • 54th Street between Seventh and Fifth avenues

  • 53rd Street between Seventh and Fifth avenues

  • 52nd Street between Seventh and Fifth avenues

  • 51st Street between Seventh and Fifth avenues

  • 50th Street between Seventh and Fifth avenues

  • 49th Street between Seventh and Fifth avenues

  • 48th Street between Seventh and Fifth avenues

  • Rockefeller Plaza between 51st and 48th streets

  • 47th Street between Seventh and Fifth avenues

  • 46th Street between Seventh and Fifth avenues

  • 45th Street between Seventh and Fifth avenues

  • 44th Street between Seventh and Fifth avenues

  • 43rd Street between Sixth and Fifth avenues

  • 42nd Street between Seventh and Fifth avenues

  • 41st Street between Broadway and Sixth Avenue

  • 40th Street between Sixth and Fifth avenues

  • 39th Street between Sixth and Fifth avenues

  • 38th Street between Sixth and Fifth avenues

  • 37th Street between Sixth and Fifth avenues

  • 36th Street between Sixth and Fifth avenues

  • 33rd Street between Sixth and Fifth avenues

  • Sixth Avenue between 33rd and 32nd streets

  • Columbus Avenue between 86th and 83rd streets

  • Columbus Avenue between 72nd and 59th streets

  • Ninth Avenue between 59th and 58th streets

  • Broadway between Columbus Circle and 65th Street