Detroit's Thanksgiving Day Parade wouldn't be complete without it's colorful jumble of jesters. About 200 members of the Distinguished Clowns Corp woke up this morning, painted their face and threw on their big shoes to march the three-mile stretch.

The parade broadcast starts at 9 a.m. and ends at 12 p.m. The parade is also syndicated across 185 markets nation-wide

The annual parade, the Turkey Trot, and the Detroit Lions are all adding to the fun of Thanksgiving in the Motor City. Here's how to plan ahead:

DETROIT – The 98th America’s Thanksgiving Parade presented by Gardner White returns to Downtown Detroit on Nov. 28! The parade is held on Thanksgiving morning, Nov. 28, 2024.

Forecasters have mixed opinions, with some predicting some rain and even snow, while others calling for none. But they agree, it will be cold.

The Detroit parade is the second largest behind the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York in terms of its viewership and the number of people going to see it in person — an estimated 1 million in Detroit last year, Michaels said. “We want to get Detroit on this big national map, and we’ve worked very hard to do that," he said.

We were downtown for the start of America's Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit. We talked with some first timers hoping to start new family traditions, and some seasoned parade veterans who all say this is the best way to start their Thanksgiving.