Thanksgiving morning is all about gratitude, cozy vibes, and—of course—the iconic Thanksgiving parade! This year, we kicked off the holiday with a tradition I’ve been dreaming of for years: a living room Thanksgiving Parade Watch Party. Inspired by The House that Lars Built‘s ingenious table that I’ve dreamed of recreating for years and a brilliant suggestion on Instagram to repurpose our Spider-Man cityscape backdrop, I finally made it happen!
If you’re looking for a fun way to make Thanksgiving morning extra special, hosting a parade watch party might just be the new tradition your family will love. Here’s how I put it together, plus tips for creating your own festive setup.
Thanksgiving Kids Table
I wanted a comfy, cozy vibe so I started by pulling our playroom’s low-profile activity table into the living room and surrounding it with floor cushions.
I reused a cityscape backdrop from our Spider-Man party to create a mini NYC vibe for the tabletop. I made mine by cutting the skyline silhouette out of foam poster board and using mailing label stickers for the windows. You can DIY a similar look with cardboard, printable templates, or even colorful construction paper. Don’t forget some little details like a taxi cab and road tape to complete the city!
My favorite part is the fun idea to use mini foil balloons to set up a tabletop parade. You can sometimes find these little character foil balloons at the party, grocery, or even dollar store. I ordered mine online from BargainBalloons.com so that I could find a few of the kids’ favorite characters for our parade! I attached them to balloon sticks from Dollar Tree and used gaffer tape to attach them to the city building centerpiece.
Thanksgiving Cinnamon Roll Turkey
One of our favorite family Thanksgiving traditions since the kids were little has been making cinnamon roll turkeys on Thanksgiving morning. I thought they would be the perfect brunch treat for our parade party. These little guys are as adorable as they are easy to make. I start with pre-made cinnamon rolls (convenience is everything on busy mornings!) and while they bake, I also cook some bacon. Once the cinnamon rolls are done and frosted, I arrange the bacon slices like turkey feathers and add fun details like candy eyes, a candy corn beak, and pretzel feet. This year I also made a few with colorful skewered fruit feathers instead of bacon 🙂 Both are equally cute and yummy!
Here’s how to make these cinnamon roll turkeys
🦃 Bake cinnamon rolls according to the package
🦃 Cook bacon or assemble colorful fruit skewers (or both)
🦃 Once cooled, add icing (I like to mix in a scoop of vanilla frosting to make it a little thicker)
🦃 Arrange bacon or fruit feathers
🦃 Add a candy corn beak and candy eyes
Fun Thanksgiving Kids Activities
Create mini-floats using cardboard boxes, tissue boxes, or legos and decorate them with crepe paper, construction paper, and any other craft supplies you have on hand!
Play a game of parade BINGO with different elements the kids can look out for: certain characters, costumes, songs, etc. (DIY your own or print one of these from Etsy!)
While you wait for the parade to begin, you could read one of our favorite books : Balloons Over Broadway. It’s an adorable (the illustrations are 😍) and informative book that celebrates the story of the master puppeteer who invented the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving parade’s giant balloon creations!
A New Family Thanksgiving Tradition!
This year’s Thanksgiving Parade Watch Party is definitely something I can see us doing every year! The kids loved the crafts and treats while we watched the colorful floats and fun performances.
If you’re looking for a super fun way to turn up the magic on Thanksgiving morning, I can’t recommend this enough. Try it out and let me know how it goes—tag me on Instagram at @jessicagrant14 so I can see your setups!
Here’s to new traditions and making magical memories ❤️
What do you think?