Spend Thanksgiving Weekend Watch Chicago's Best Holiday Events Live on CW26 and The U!

Beginning Thanksgiving morning and throughout the weekend, CW26 and The U are the places to be for LIVE, local broadcasts of Chicago's best Holiday events!


First, start a new holiday tradition by watching the Chicago Thanksgiving Parade from start to finish, live Thursday November 24 from 8A-11A on CW26. Ranked #2 in best Thanksgiving parades in the nation by TimeOut, The Chicago Thanksgiving Parade celebrates 88 years of entertaining families across the country and kicks off the holiday season with marching bands, floats, giants balloons (featuring characters such as Fred Flintstone and Scooby-Doo) equestrian acts, performances and more. The Lake Zurich High School marching band, equestrians from the American Sidesaddle Association and a performance by the American Blues Theatre are just a few of the acts from across the nation that will strut down Chicago's legendary State Street to celebrate the arrival of Santa!

Celebrities Jen Lilley (Days of Our Lives, Royally Wrapped for Christmas) & Jesse Hutch (CW's Batwoman, Arrow, Supernatural, and Dream Wedding) will ring in the holidays as this year's co-hosts of the parade.

Click here to visit the Chicago Thanksgiving Parade website, and follow along with them on Twitter @chiparade


Sponsored by Ankin Law and Lightkeeper Pro


Next, settle down with the family to enjoy the three F's of Thanksgiving weekend: family, food, and FOOTBALL! Friday and Saturday, you can watch the best high school teams in Illinois compete at the IHSA State Football Championships LIVE from Memorial Stadium at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 

The U kicks off the coverage with the 1A, 2A, 3A and 4A games, Friday, November 25. Then, CW26 is picking up with the 5A, 6A, 7A, and 8A championship games on Saturday, November 26. Broadcasts start at 10A on both days with our crew of longtime IHSA broadcasters on the call. 

The U can be seen on Channel 48.1 and WCIU, Channel 26.2, XFINITY 230|360, RCN 610, WOW 170, Dish 48, Spectrum Charter 191 and U-Verse 24.

CW26 is seen on WCIU, Channel 26.1, XFINITY 183|1026, RCN 6/606, WOW 10/207, Dish 26, Direct TV 26, Spectrum Charter 22/616 and U-Verse 10/1010. 


Check out the full IHSA State Championship schedule below:


There's no reason to brave the cold this Thanksgiving weekend with all this amazing local television! Stay home, curl up, and enjoy all the festivities live on CW26 and The U. It's LIVE programming you won't find anywhere else!