Saturday Night Live: Everything we know about the Thanksgiving Live Event lineup and schedule
NBC’s Saturday Night Live Thanksgiving special airs November 26 on NBC and Peacock. Find the full lineup, schedule, Macy’s Parade, National Dog Show, and NFL game details.
Chris Redd, Melissa Villaseñor, Aidy Bryant, Will Ferrell, Beck Bennett, Heidi Gardner, and Kyle Mooney appear in the Heinz sketch on on Saturday Night Live on November 23, 2019 (Image via NBC)
NBC’s annual Saturday Night Live Thanksgiving special will air as part of the network’s holiday programming in 2025.
The show will collect sketches that go back in time to SNL's Thanksgiving-related past, which spotlight to the audience the most unforgettable moments and the best acts.
The special event will be available for streaming on NBC and Peacock.
This guide covers everything about the SNL Thanksgiving special, such as the time it will be on air, ways to stream it and also mentions other NBC Thanksgiving programs during the holiday season.
Besides the Thanksgiving special, there will also be pre-Thanksgiving shows, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, the National Dog Show, and an NFL Thanksgiving Day game.
Saturday Night Live’s 2025 Thanksgiving special and NBC holiday lineup
How to watch the Saturday Night Live Thanksgiving special
The Thanksgiving special of Saturday Night Live is set to be aired on the very next day, which is Wednesday, November 26, from 9 to 11 p.m. ET on NBC. Besides, it will be streamable on Peacock the following day.
The special will be showcasing a mix of Thanksgiving-related sketches from different seasons, with both pre-recorded and live segments included.
Among the sketches in past Thanksgiving specials were such as musical honors, imitation acts and holiday family dinner portrayals.
Notable sketches from past seasons include “Back Home Ballers” from Season 40, “A Thanksgiving Miracle” from Season 41, the “Thanksgiving Parade” sketch from Season 42, and Paul Simon’s monologue as a giant turkey in Season 2.
NBC Thanksgiving eve specials
NBC has a plan to reveal more material for the day before Thanksgiving.
It will be a show marshalling the "Countdown to the 99th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade" on Wednesday, November 26, from 8 to 9 p.m. ET on NBC, which is also scheduled for streaming live on Peacock.
The unveiling of the parade will be a part of the event with the look of the float, balloons and troupes.
Then it will follow the SNL Thanksgiving special airing from 9 to 11 p.m. with sketches featuring Thanksgiving themes as its main focus.
Thanksgiving Day programming
Thanksgiving Day is the celebration when NBC will be airing the 99th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, the largest and the most important parade in the USA, live from 8:30 AM to 12 PM EST and a repeat broadcast at 2 PM.
Live streaming of the parade will be available on Peacock. The hosts of the parade will be Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, and Al Roker.
One of the many artists to be featured in the parade broadcast includes the performance of Cynthia Erivo, Lainey Wilson, EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and REI AMI.
Among the other musicians and dancers, we will hear from Drew Baldridge, Matteo Bocelli, Colbie Caillat, Ciara, Gavin DeGraw, Meg Donnelly, Mr. Fantasy, Foreigner, Debbie Gibson, Mickey Guyton, and Christopher Jackson.
Jewel, Lil Jon, Kool & the Gang, Darlene Love, Roman Mejia, Taylor Momsen, Tiler Peck, the Radio City Rockettes, Busta Rhymes, Calum Scott, Shaggy, Lauren Spencer Smith, Luísa Sonza, and Teyana Taylor will all be taking part in the show.
Special guests include Nikki DeLoach, Ilia Malinin, Kristoffer Polaha, Jack Wallace, and correspondent Sean Evans.
On the day of the parade, people who are watching the parade via the broadcast will have the opportunity to watch the interviews conducted live with the artists, the crew, and other participants.
They will also be able to get a sneak preview of the work being done on the floats and balloons.
The Purina-sponsored National Dog Show will be telecast from 12 to 2 PM Eastern Time with the hosting done by John O'Hurley. Commenting will be done by David Frei, and Mary Carillo will be the reporter off-stage.
Various categories will have their respective dog competitions and the commentators will also be a part of the show along with the viewers.
The NFL Thanksgiving Day game will be shown at 7:20 PM ET and it will be the Bengals vs. Ravens.
The second NFL game is scheduled on Sunday, November 30, at 7:20 PM, and it will be the Broncos against the Commanders. Peacock is going to show both games in real-time.
There will be game analysis, player interviews, and postgame coverage included in the broadcasts.
