What to Watch Thanksgiving Day: A guide to parades, football and basketball on TV

Thanksgiving is about family gatherings but it’s also about TV — the parades, the football games, the holiday movies.

Here’s a quick guide to what to watch on Thanksgiving Day.

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (8:30 a.m., NBC)

The New York tradition is the granddaddy of all parades. This year’s event has 25 giant balloons, dozens of big-name musical and performing acts and the best marching bands in the country. If you miss it, it’ll play again at 2 p.m.

Thanksgiving Day Parade on CBS (9 p.m., CBS)

This is also the Macy’s parade, but hosted by Kevin Frazier and Keltie Knight. Look for performances by the casts of “A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical” and “Aladdin.”

ABC7 Dunkin’ Thanksgiving Day Parade (9 p.m., ABC)

The Macy’s alternative each year happens live in Philadelphia. Look for lots of floats, marching bands, musical performances, and guest appearances by Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and Santa Claus.

The National Dog Show (Noon, NBC)

Another Thanksgiving TV tradition, this year’s dog show has more than 2,000 purebred dogs competing to be named “Best in Show.” This annual event is hosted by John O’Hurley and David Frei, with additional insights from Mary Carillo.

NFL Football: Green Bay Packers vs Detroit Lions (12:30 p.m., Fox)

The Lions host the Packers for Thanksgiving. The Lions are 37-44-2 on Turkey Day following a 28-25 setback versus the Bills last year.

NFL Football: Washington Commanders vs. Dallas Cowboys (4:30 p.m., CBS)

The Cowboys host their rival Commanders today. This is the 11th time Dallas and Washington have met on the holiday, with the Cowboys 8-2 in those games. Washington won the most recent contest in 2020.

“The Wizard of Oz” (8 p.m., TBS)

This 1939 classic is a bit of a holiday tradition. If you need a break from football, join Dorothy (Judy Garland) as she’s whisked from her Kansas farm by a tornado to a magic land, where she must get help in the Emerald City to return home.

NFL Football: San Francisco 49ers vs Seattle Seahawks (8:15 p.m., NBC)

The Seahawks host the 49ers for the first time since an NFC wild-card meeting last season. San Francisco has won three straight meetings.

College Basketball: UNC vs Villanova / Texas Tech (ESPN/ESPN2)

UNC’s men’s team plays in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas. On Thanksgiving Day, they will either play Villanova or Texas Tech. The game will either be at noon or 5 p.m., depending on the outcome of Wednesday’s games.

College Basketball: NC State vs Vanderbilt (10 p.m., ESPN2)

It’s Mr. Wuf vs. Mr. Commodore in the inaugural Vegas Showdown. The four-team event also features Arizona State and BYU, and takes place at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino’s Michelob ULTRA Arena.