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Your guide to Philly’s 2025 Thanksgiving Day Parade

Here’s all the info you need from its route and start time to road closures, SEPTA detours and how to watch it at home.

A turkey float goes by down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway at the start of the 6abc Dunkin' Thanksgiving Day Parade in Philadelphia in 2023.
A turkey float goes by down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway at the start of the 6abc Dunkin' Thanksgiving Day Parade in Philadelphia in 2023.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer

When you think of a Thanksgiving parade do you immediately picture the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City? Well, you shouldn’t! Not when Philadelphia has its very own parade that happens to be the oldest Thanksgiving parade in the country. New York City may have Snoopy, but we have Red Fraggle from Fraggle Rock, OK? And if that’s not hip enough for you, we also have Peppa friggin’ Pig. Take that, Charlie Brown.

Now in its 106th year, the 2025 6abc Dunkin’ Thanksgiving Day Parade will be stacked with performers and stars like Kelly Ripa and, did we already mention, Red Fraggle from Fraggle Rock? The cast of Abbott Elementary will be there too.

Whether you plan on attending in person, or catching it on television, here is everything you need to know about the nation’s first (and best) Thanksgiving Day parade. Happy Thanksgiving, Philly.

Parade route

This year’s 6abc Dunkin’ Thanksgiving Day Parade broadcast starts at 8:30 a.m., with the parade kicking off at 9 a.m.

The route starts at 20th Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard and heads east toward 16th Street, where it turns left and heads north to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. From there, the parade follows the Parkway west to Eakins Oval and the Philadelphia Art Museum, where it concludes. The parade is free to attend.

Weather

Thanksgiving is still a few days away, but early reports from Weather.com are calling for partly cloudy skies with highs hovering in the mid-40s and lows in the 30s.

Make sure to check the National Weather Service the day before Thanksgiving for the most accurate forecast.

Thanksgiving parade road closures

The following street closures will be in effect on Thursday, Nov. 27:

Midnight to noon

  1. 20th Street between JFK Boulevard and Market Street

2 a.m. to 11 a.m.

  1. 20th Street between the Ben Franklin Parkway and Race Street

5 a.m. to noon

  1. 20th Sreet between JFK Boulevard and Arch Street

6 a.m. to noon

  1. 20th Street between Market Street and the Ben Franklin Parkway

7:30 a.m. until the end of the parade

Full parade route, including:

  1. JFK Boulevard from 30th Street to 16th Street

  2. 20th Street from Market Street to the Ben Franklin Parkway

  3. 16th Street from JFK Boulevard to the Ben Franklin Parkway

  4. Ben Franklin Parkway to the Art Museum

Parking

There will be “Temporary No Parking” signs posted in areas on and around the parade route starting Wednesday, Nov. 26, at 6 p.m., the Office of Special Events said. Cars parked in prohibited parking areas will be relocated. If you believe your car has been relocated, The Inquirer has a guide on what to do when you’ve been “courtesy towed.”

Metered parking elsewhere in the city is free on Thanksgiving. Additionally, you can check the Philadelphia Parking Authority’s website for a list of parking garages and parking lots around the parade route.

SEPTA service

The parade route is blocked off to traffic, impacting SEPTA’s bus service from 2 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 27.

Routes affected during this time include Route 2, Route 7, Route 17, Route 27, Route 31, Route 33, Route 38, Route 43, Route 44, Route 48, Route 49, Route 124, Route 125, L1 OWL.

For detailed information about route detours, check SEPTA’s System Status Page at septa.org. You can also follow real-time updates on the agency’s System Status website, via TransitView on the SEPTA app, or on X at @SEPTA_Bus.

Parade floats and performers

Guests this year include the aforementioned Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, Ryan Seacrest, Vanna White from Wheel of Fortune, former NFL quarterback Troy Aikman, and Good Morning America weather forecaster Sam Champion. There will also be performances from the iconic funk group Cameo and Motown legends the Four Tops.

As for the floats, you saw our note about Red from Fraggle Rock, right? What more could you want?

Where to watch

If you’re looking to attend the parade, you can watch from anywhere along its route, for free.

Some favorite spots to watch include the Franklin Institute, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Eakins Oval, and Logan Circle.

How to watch from home

The parade will air live from 8:30 a.m. until noon on 6abc and can be streamed via the station’s website, the 6abc Philadelphia News App, or on Disney+ and ABCNewsLive beginning at 9 a.m.