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Thanksgiving Day Parade Bus Detours, Modified Services and Road Closures

Published and updated Category: Bulletins
Happy Thanksgiving

The 6abc Dunkin’ Thanksgiving Day Parade begins at 8:30 am on Thursday, November 28, 2024. It is free and includes activities for the entire family – some special guests will also be making an appearance! Due to the holiday, there will be road closures and SEPTA bus detours in effect.

If you’re headed to the parade, SEPTA is a great way to ensure you arrive on time. Travel options include taking Regional Rail to Suburban Station, the trolley to 19th or 22nd Street stations, Market-Frankford Line to 15th Street Station, Broad Street Line to City Hall Station, or Bus Routes 7, 32, 33, 38, 43 or 48 (be aware of detours). 

Thanksgiving Day Parade Route

The parade starts at 20th Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard. It travels Eastbound on John F. Kennedy Boulevard to 16th Street, then Northbound on 16th Street to Benjamin Franklin Parkway, then Westbound on Benjamin Franklin Parkway to the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. 

Thanksgiving Day Modified Service Schedules

SEPTA services operate on modified schedules on Thanksgiving Day. Bus, Metro (includes Broad Street Line [B], Market-Frankford Line [B], Trolleys [T], Route 15 [G], Media-Sharon Hill Line [D] and Norristown High Speed Line [M]) and Regional Rail routes operate on a Sunday Schedule.

Routes 204, 310, 311 and LUCY will not operate.

All modes resume regular weekday schedule at the start of service day, Friday, November 29. 

Road Closures

Streets will be closed in many parts of Center City to accommodate the parade route. Traffic delays can be expected. Motorists are advised to find alternate routes, avoid areas along the parade route, allow for extra driving time and proceed with caution.  

For a complete list of road closures, view the 6abc website.

Additional detours could be added throughout the day due to unscheduled road closures.

SEPTA Bus Route Detours

  • 2
  • 7
  • 17
  • 27
  • 31
  • 32
  • 33
  • 38
  • 43
  • 44
  • 48
  • 49
  • 124
  • 125
  • MFO

Convenient Ways to Pay

If using a SEPTA Key card, riders are encouraged to load funds on it before the event. For more information about SEPTA Key, visit www.septa.org.

SEPTA’s multi-rider feature allows up to five riders on one SEPTA Key card. Taps can be on a single bus/trolley validator or a combination of taps on different turnstiles at a station. Multi-rider is available on all modes including bus, trolley, Broad Street Line [B], Market-Frankford Line [L], Norristown High Speed Line [M] and Regional Rail. Learn how to activate and fare information.

Credit/debit cards, in physical form or through apps like Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay, are accepted on buses, trolleys, Market-Frankford Line [L], Broad Street Line [B] and the Norristown High Speed Line [M], at any turnstile or farebox with a simple tap on the validator. 

  • Express Mode: With Express Mode enabled for debit or credit cards, riders don’t need to wake or unlock their iPhone or Apple Watch or even open any apps to pay and ride on SEPTA Bus or Metro.  
  • Once a user has chosen which debit or credit card they’d like to use with Express Mode, they can simply tap their iPhone or Apple Watch to an enabled reader to ride.

SEPTA accepts cash for travel on bus, Metro and Regional Rail; exact fair is required for bus and Metro.

Customers at Metro stations may purchase a Quick Trip ticket from Fare Kiosks, for a single one-way ride on the Broad Street Line [B], Market-Frankford Line [L], Norristown High Speed Line [M] and select Trolley lines. Transit Quick Trips are not valid for bus rides. SEPTA recommends that customers simply use a contactless bankcard to travel, eliminating the need for a Quick Trip ticket and adding additional travel privileges. 

Quick Trips are available from station Fare Kiosks and are valid on the day purchased until 2 am the following day. Customers attending events in the Sports Complex area are encouraged to purchase a Quick Trip for their return trip prior to the event. Free transfers are not available with Quick Trip.

SEPTA Key Tix provides an easy payment solution for occasional riders to enjoy the same benefits as cardholders, including one free transfer. Allows people traveling together the ability to “scan once” by activating up to five one-way tickets using a single barcode. Riders can use SEPTA Key Tix on buses and Metro only. 

PATCO riders traveling to Philadelphia from New Jersey can use their PATCO Freedom Share card for travel on SEPTA Metro and buses for $2 per trip. Card must be purchased from PATCO and preloaded with funds in advance.  

To get the latest service news, call Customer Service at 215-580-7800 or follow SEPTA @SEPTA. Customer Service is open Monday – Friday, 7 am – 7 pm and Saturday – Sunday, 8 am – 5 pm.