Seasonal & Holidays
Detroit's 89th Annual America's Thanksgiving Parade: Guide
Street closures and parking, celebrity guests, special attractions and other things you need to know about the parade.
A venerable Detroit tradition kicks of Thanksgiving Day at 8:50 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 26, bringing larger-than-life floats, brightly colored helium balloons, thunderous marching bands and specialty acts down historic Woodward Avenue.
The 89th America’s Thanksgiving Parade, presented by Art Van, will kick off at the corner of Woodward and Kirby and end at Woodward and Congress in downtown Detroit.
Tens of thousands of people turn out to watch the three-mile parade, one of the country’s largest Thanksgiving traditions. The theme this year is “So Happy Together.”
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Celebrities
This year’s grand marshal is Michigan native Tim Allen, current star of the sitcom “Last Man Standing” on ABC, and best known as the Golden Globe Award-winning and Emmy-nominated star of ABC’s “Home Improvement,” the star of blockbuster movies including “The Santa Clause” and “Toy Story,” as one of the nation’s top stand-up comedians, and as a New York Times bestselling author.
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Celebrities in the parade will include U.S. soccer stars Ali Krieger and Crystal Dunn, former Detroit Tiger Willie Horton, Run-D.M.C. founder Darryl McDaniels, Access Hollywood’s Liz Hernandez, Miss Michigan and Miss Michigan Teen, Bill and Lisa Ford and Art Van Elslander, among others.
Other Highlights
Among other highlights, the Tony, Grammy and Olivier award-winning musical “Jersey Boys” will open the parade with a live performance from the TV zone prior to the parade’s travel down Woodward Avenue.
Some other things to be on the watch for: Detroit eighth-grader Ayress Goss is the Skillman Foundation’s contest winner, and her float, “Family Time,” which features a slide spiraling around a giant tree into a pile of autumn leaves.
And, of course, the latest Big Head Corps papier-mâché creation will be unveiled, and will join more than 150 Big Heads celebrating the late “Saturday Night Live” comedienne and actress, beloved Detroit native Gilda Radner.
The 33rd Annual Strategic Staffing Solutions Turkey Trot, the largest 10K run in Michigan; the Strategic Staffing Solutions Stuffing Strut, a 5K run; and the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Mashed Potato Mile, also take place on Thanksgiving Day.
Getting There
Be prepared for heavy traffic, especially with road closures associated with the parade and the M-1 Rail construction on Woodward Avenue.
Street Closures
- Woodward Avenue from W. Grand Blvd. to Warren will be closed from 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 26, through 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 27.
- Woodward Avenue from Warren to Jefferson will be shut down from 3 a.m. Thursday until the conclusion of the parade.
- Michigan at Cass, closing at 6 a.m. Thursday
- Fort Street from Trumbull to Woodward, closing at 6 a.m. Thursday
- Congress from Shelby to Randolph, closing at 6 a.m. Thursday
- Larned from Shelby to Randolph, closing at 6 a.m. Thursday
- Shelby from Congress to Michigan, closing at 6 a.m. Thursday
- Michigan from Cass to Woodward, closing at 6 a.m. Thursday
- Monroe from Woodward to Randolph, closing at 6 a.m. Thursday
- Lafayette Blvd. from Trumbull to Griswold, closing at 6 a.m. Thursday
- Washington Blvd. from Adams to Congress, closing at 6 a.m. Thursday
- Atwater from Civic Center Dr. to Third, closing at 6 a.m. Thursday
Beginning at noon Wednesday, access will be limited on the following:
- Amsterdam/Piquette from Cass to John R
- Harper from Cass to John R
- Palmer from Cass to John R
- Ferry from Cass to John R
- Farnsworth/Putnam from Cass to John R
Where to Park
- Ford Underground Garage — 30 East Jefferson Ave. — 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. — $10
- Joe Louis Arena — 900 W. Jefferson Ave. — 4:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. — $10
- Millennium Garage — 423 W. Congress — 24 hours — $10
- Grand Circus Park Garage — 1600-01 Woodward — 24 hours — $20
- Premier Underground Garage — 1206-08 Woodward — 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. –$10
People Mover
Riding the Detroit People Mover is free from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, courtesy of Michelin.
» Photo via America’s Thanksgiving Parade, The Parade Co.
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