Thursday, November 26, 2026 is the 100th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. If you are working out what to do in NYC on Thanksgiving, that date sets the shape of the trip. An early start on parade morning, a long dinner, then three more days in the city.
This guide covers the three parts in order. Parade morning. Thanksgiving dinner. The weekend after, when the holiday markets and the rinks are already open.
LUMA Hotel Times Square is a 130-room hotel at 120 West 41st St, and it sits a half-block from the parade route. The parade is not visible from guest rooms, so plan to be outside on the street.
What is NYC in November actually like?
Two of the city's winter fixtures are open well before Thanksgiving, which is the practical reason to come in November rather than December.
Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park opened on October 28, 2026. Its Holiday Shops run through January 3, 2027, and the rink season runs to February 28, 2027. Admission to the rink is free and skate rentals are charged separately.
The Rink at Rockefeller Center is also running by Thanksgiving week. Skating there requires a timed ticket, which you can buy online or at the box office.
For packing, the National Weather Service forecast office for New York publishes the local forecast. Read it in the few days before you fly rather than relying on a seasonal average.
How can you spend Thanksgiving Day in NYC?
Thanksgiving Day in the city runs on a simple timetable. The parade in the morning, a gap in the middle of the day, dinner from late afternoon.
Parade morning
The 100th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is on Thursday, November 26, 2026. It is the one morning of the year when Midtown street-level space is the thing people plan around.
LUMA Hotel Times Square is a half-block from the parade route. The parade is not visible from guest rooms, so the half-block is the useful number. You get dressed indoors, then walk out to the route.
Confirm the route and the viewing arrangements on Macy's own parade website before the morning itself. Arrive earlier than you think you need to, and dress for standing still in the cold rather than for walking.
If you are arriving by public transit, the hotel is a 10-minute walk from 42nd Street-Port Authority.
Thanksgiving dinner at AperiBar
AperiBar Times Square is the restaurant and cocktail bar inside LUMA Hotel Times Square, from chef Charlie Palmer. It is an Italian-American kitchen, and it is the dinner reservation to make if you are staying at the hotel. There is also a Lobby Bar + Lounge.
AperiBar's standard hours are:
- Breakfast: Monday to Friday 7:00-10:30am, Saturday and Sunday 7:00-11:00am.
- Dinner: nightly 4:00-11:00pm, with the dining room opening at 5pm.
Call 1-212-730-0099 to book and to ask what time service starts on the 26th. Thanksgiving dinner at AperiBar is also included in one of the two holiday packages below.
The two Thanksgiving packages
LUMA Hotel Times Square has two holiday packages for 2026, collected on the Thanksgiving in Times Square offers page. The full terms, rates and booking conditions live on each package page.
| Package | We Love a Parade! | Grateful to be in NYC |
|---|---|---|
| Included | Grab-and-go breakfast, souvenir postcards | Thanksgiving dinner at AperiBar, seasonal welcome amenity |
| Dinner credit | Up to $100 AperiBar dinner credit on 2+ nights | Up to $100 additional AperiBar dinner credit on 2+ nights |
| Full terms | lumahotels.com/times-square/offers/we-love-a-parade-2026/ | lumahotels.com/times-square/offers/grateful-to-be-in-nyc-2026/ |
The short version: take We Love a Parade! if the parade is the reason for the trip, and Grateful to be in NYC if you want the Thanksgiving table handled.
What can you do in NYC after Thanksgiving?
The Friday to Sunday after Thanksgiving is the better half of the trip for most visitors. The crowds move from the parade route to the shops and the rinks, and the holiday season is properly open.
Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park
The Winter Village is the one stop that covers shopping, skating and eating in a single block of time. The Holiday Shops sell gifts, crafts and seasonal food, and the rink is free to enter.
The season dates matter if you are choosing between this trip and a December one. The Holiday Shops close on January 3, 2027. The rink stays open to February 28, 2027.
Skating at Rockefeller Center
The Rink at Rockefeller Center is the other skate of the weekend. Book the timed ticket before you go.
Times Square, Broadway and holiday shopping
Times Square works best as an evening stop on Thanksgiving Day itself, once the route has cleared and the restaurants have reopened.
For Broadway, check the schedule for the specific show you want. Thanksgiving week programming varies by theatre, and the better seats for the holiday weekend go early.
Holiday shopping on the Friday and Saturday spreads across the Midtown and Herald Square stores. The Bryant Park Holiday Shops are the outdoor alternative. Keep a gap in the afternoon. The weekend reads much better with one unplanned half-day in it than with five fixed bookings.
How should you plan the stay?
A few decisions made in advance take most of the friction out of the weekend.
- Book the room before the dinner. Thanksgiving week rooms in Midtown go before the restaurant tables do.
- Reserve Thanksgiving dinner by phone. Call the restaurant directly and confirm the holiday service time while you are on the call.
- Pack for standing outdoors. A warm coat, gloves, a hat and layers, plus shoes you can stand in for two hours.
- Check the event pages yourself. Parade, rink and market details are published by the organizers and change year to year.
- Leave one half-day open. Parade morning plus a long dinner is a full day, and the Friday is better unscheduled.
One more thing worth knowing if you sleep lightly. The Urban rooms at LUMA Hotel Times Square are at the back of the hotel and have no city view. They are the quietest rooms in the building, which makes them the right choice for light sleepers on a loud weekend. Urban Two Kings and Urban Two Queens run 226-275 sq. ft. (21-25 sq.m.) and sleep up to 4.
Plan your Thanksgiving stay at LUMA Hotel Times Square
LUMA Hotel Times Square puts you a half-block from the parade route on the morning of the 100th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Thanksgiving dinner at AperiBar is inside the hotel, and the Bryant Park and Rockefeller Center rinks are open for the rest of the weekend.
Compare the two holiday packages on the Thanksgiving in Times Square offers page and Book Direct & Save.
Frequently asked questions
Can you see the Macy's Parade from a room at LUMA Hotel Times Square?
No. The parade is not visible from guest rooms. The hotel is a half-block from the parade route, so the walk out to a street-level spot is short.
What is the weather like in New York City in late November?
Pack for cold, including a warm coat, gloves and layers you can add while standing outdoors. The National Weather Service forecast office for New York publishes the local forecast. Read it in the days before you travel rather than relying on a seasonal average.
Are New York museums open on Thanksgiving weekend?
Hours vary by museum, and some close on Thanksgiving Day itself while opening normally for the rest of the weekend. Check the hours on each museum's own site, and book timed entry where it is offered.
Is Thanksgiving a busy travel period in New York City?
Yes. Hotels, restaurants and the airports all run full over the holiday weekend. Book the room and the Thanksgiving table first. Allow extra time for getting across Midtown on parade morning, when street closures are in place.
How many days should you spend in New York City at Thanksgiving?
Three to four nights covers parade morning, a Thanksgiving dinner and two unhurried days for the markets, the rinks and a show. A shorter trip means choosing between the parade and the weekend rather than doing both.