H-E-B Thanksgiving Day Parade

The 77th parade steps off at 9am on Thursday, November 26, and the whole thing is over inside a couple of hours. That timing is the one thing to plan around: it is a morning event on a day when most people are cooking, so the decision is whether you are doing this instead of the kitchen, not before it.

Watching from the street is free. The city sells reserved grandstand seating separately, which is worth it only if you have small children who will not last standing or you want a guaranteed sightline.

Downtown on a parade morning means street closures, and the city publishes the closure schedule and route map on its own page ahead of the day — read it before you pick a parking garage, because the obvious one may be inside the ring. Arriving well before 9am is the difference between a spot on the rail and a view of the back of someone's head.

It is late November in Houston, which can mean 45 degrees or 75. Check the forecast the night before rather than assuming either.