Thanksgiving is just around the corner and while many people will be thinking about what side dish to bring to the event, or what pants to wear to make for the most optimal comfort so you can eat as much as possible, or simply what they'll want to eat, others will be thinking about the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and whether or not you're a New Yorker you've likely had the opportunity to see this massive event at some point in your life even if only on TV. The good news is that even if you aren't in New York and aren't able to see it live in person, just like last year Macy's is doing the parade in 360-degrees so those at home can watch and feel like they're actually there.

That's right, if you're sitting at home you'll be able to watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade live and in 360-degrees which means you can see everything that's happening from all angles. The parade will be broadcast on Verizon's YouTube channel just like last year so if you watched the parade this way in 2016 then you'll already be familiar with how to get things up and running. For those that aren't aware, the process is pretty simple and you'll need just a few things. First things first, you might want a VR headset of some kind. This can be something as simple as a Google Cardboard VR viewer, or something as complex as an HTC Vive. If you're using a mobile headset you'll also need a smartphone, or a powerful enough PC to power the Vive or a similar piece of hardware. Once you have all that, or if you just want to watch on a PC and pan around the camera, you'll just need to head to YouTube.

https://youtu.be/RK_B4Ez4_5Q


Now, if you're planning to watch the parade on YouTube without the use of a VR headset, you can simply view this in your PC browser and use the mouse to the click and drag around on the video to move the camera around and see things from every possible angle. Alternatively you can also open the video on your mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet, inside of the YouTube app and because it's a 360-degree video you can easily move the phone around to see the different camera angles. There's no touching the screen and swiping your finger around to view things, which makes this a much simpler process than viewing it on YouTube's website through a PC.

Naturally, though, the easiest and most immersive way to view the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 360-degrees is going to be with the use of a VR headset. Even if it's something like the Daydream View or Samsung's Gear VR, by slotting your phone into either of these headsets and then opening up the YouTube VR app, you can go straight to this video and then all you have to do is look around as if you were physically there and looking around in person. Throw on some headphones for a more immersive audio experience and you may not be able to tell the difference, save for the sense of smell and the obvious realization that you can't physically touch anything that you see around you. The nice thing, too, is that this experience can be shared and no matter how you choose to watch, all of the family and friends who have gathered for the holiday can watch too, whether it's taking turns using the headset or just huddling around PC.