Philadelphia Thanksgiving parade: road closures, SEPTA service, details and more

Onlookers celebrate Philadelphia's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Onlookers lined the streets in Center City to celebrate Thanksgiving and the start of the holiday season at Philadelphia's Thanksgiving parade.

PHILADELPHIA - This Thursday, the nation's longest-running Thanksgiving Day Parade returns for its 106th year. 

The parade will feature floats, balloons, musical performances and more up and down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, according to Visit Philadelphia. 

What we know:

The event is set to feature Ryan Seacrest and Vanna White from Wheel of Fortune, the cast of Abbott Elementary, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, a number of performers from Ensemble Arts Philly and more. 

The parade starts at 20th Street & John F. Kennedy (JFK) Boulevard, runs eastbound toward 16th Street, then northbound toward the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. From there, the parade will travel westbound toward Eakins Oval to Kelly Drive and will disperse via Kelly Drive and the Spring Garden Extension, according to the Philadelphia Office of Special Events. 

Around Eakins Oval, there will be additional music, giveaways, family-friendly activities and food trucks. 

The broadcast of the parade begins at 8:30 a.m., and the actual parade begins at 9 a.m. It is free to attend. 

But of course, with the parade comes street closures. Here are the street closures that Philadelphians and parade goers alike can expect this week as the parade finishes its prep and kicks off. 

(Getty Images)

Nov. 25 & Nov. 26 road closures

Timeline:

From 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m., Eakins Oval between Kelly Drive and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive will be closed for rehearsals. The same area will be closed for rehearsals between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Nov. 26, according to the  Philadelphia Office of Special Events. 

Beginning at 4 p.m. on the 26th, a number of road closures will begin to take effect. First, the inner lanes of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, from 21st Street to 20th Street, followed by Eatkins Oval at 6:30 p.m., then the inbound lanes of JFK Boulevard from 20th Street to 30th Street at 7 p.m. Finally, the outbound lanes of JFK Boulevard from 20th Street to 30th Street Station will close at 8 p.m. 

Nov 27 (Thanksgiving Day) closures and parking info

From midnight to noon on Thanksgiving Day, streets will be closed between JFK Boulevard and Market Street.

From 2 a.m. to 11 a.m., 20th Street between the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and Race Street will be closed. 

From 5 a.m. to noon, 20th Street between JFK Boulevard and Arch Street will be closed, and from 6 a.m. to noon, 20th Street between Market Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway will be closed. 

From 7:30 a.m. to noon, all the above areas will be closed until the end of the parade, again per the Philadelphia Office of Special Events. 

"Temporary No Parking" signs will be posted in all the locations listed above. Vehicles parked in these areas will be towed. 

SEPTA routes affected by the parade 

Other Transportation Notes:

According to SEPTA's website, the Broad Street Line, the Market-Frankford Line, trolleys, Route 15, the Media-Sharon Hill Line, the Norristown High Speed Line and Regional Rail routes will operate on a Sunday schedule. Buses will as well. 

Routes 204, 310, 311 and the LUCY will not operate at all. 

Below is a list of the SEPTA bus route detours that will be in effect on Thanksgiving Day from 2 a.m. through roughly 5 p.m. 

• 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

What you can do:

Bus detour information and changes to service will be published here. SEPTA riders can also check "TransitView" on the SEPTA app.

To track real-time updates on the day of, SEPTA riders can check the System Status page or follow @SEPTA and @SEPTA_BUS on X for updates. All detour times are subject to change.