The 6abc Dunkin’ Thanksgiving Day Parade returns for its 107th year on Thursday, November 26, 2026, and it will stream live on Disney+ and ABC News Live. The parade steps off at 9 a.m. ET on Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway, with a pre-parade special at 8:30 a.m. on 6abc. It is the oldest Thanksgiving Day parade in America, it shares the morning with the 100th Macy’s parade, and Disney characters will be part of it again.
This is still our hometown parade. We are from the Philadelphia suburbs, and as we wrote two years ago, we did not know there was any other Thanksgiving parade when we were kids. Walt Disney World is home now, and the great part is that we can watch the whole thing from here on Disney+.
Disney has a big presence in this parade. 6abc is promising “your favorite Disney characters” this year, and Mickey and Minnie are in the parade’s official art. In past years the characters have ridden a Walt Disney World float down the Parkway to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Our Walt Disney World Ambassadors have been part of it too. Shannon Smith-Conrad was there in 2024, and Serena Arvizu joined Mickey and friends last year. Disney has not said which characters or ambassadors are coming for 2026.
Rick Williams, Alicia Vitarelli, Karen Rogers, Adam Joseph and Maggie Kent will host. Expect floats, balloons, marching bands from across the country, and Santa and Mrs. Claus at the end. 6abc has not announced this year’s performers or celebrity guests yet.
One thing to know before Thanksgiving morning. On its parade page, 6abc lists 6abc, Disney+ and ABC News Live as the places to watch this year. Hulu was on that list the last two years, and it is not named in this year’s announcement. Last year the streams outside Philadelphia started at 9 a.m., so plan on that time if you are not watching on 6abc.
Philadelphia’s parade started in 1920, four years before the one in New York. If you have only ever watched Macy’s, give this one a morning. It is big, it is friendly, and it feels like Philly.
The 6abc Dunkin’ Thanksgiving Day Parade airs Thursday, November 26 at 9 a.m. ET on 6abc, Disney+ and ABC News Live. That night, Mary Poppins airs on ABC as part of ABC’s 2026 holiday schedule.
