Floats, balloons, music and more take over the streets of New York City every Thanksgiving Day. First introduced in 1924, the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has been a tradition for many families in the U.S. Starting at 8:30am and going to 12pm, the parade will include 34 floats, 22 balloons, 28 performers and 11 different performance groups.
The Macy’s parade has been a crucial part of people’s Thanksgiving traditions for many years. It was originally known as the Macy’s Christmas Parade, taking place on Thanksgiving Day to boost the holiday sales. People dressed up in colorful costumes, there were floats, professional live bands and live animals from the Central Park Zoo. It was not until three years later, in 1927, that balloons were introduced, with Felix the Cat being the first balloon ever shown in the parade.
The parade was first broadcasted live in 1947, drawing in more viewers than in years past. Each year, it evolves by adding more extravagant floats, showing different cultures through performances, adding balloons that represent characters from kid’s favorite TV shows and more. Last year, it was viewed by about 28.5 million people, breaking the record of viewers and bringing in more attention than ever before. Increased viewership is brought yearly through the performances by different celebrities, the popular balloons to look forward to and the traditions of each family to watch it every Thanksgiving.
Balloons are the main attraction to the parade each year. SpongeBob SquarePants, Snoopy, Garfield and Mickey Mouse are a few of the balloons that have been a crowd favorite in the past. This year, there are going to be six new balloons added to the lineup: Minnie Mouse, Extraordinary Norah & Elf on the Shelf, Gabby, Goku, Spider-Man and Marshall. On Wednesday, November 27, 2024, the annual balloon inflating takes place at the American Museum of Natural History where you can watch your favorite balloons get blown up in preparation for the parade the next morning.
Floats are another main attraction every year. Bands, performance groups and TV show characters stand on their specially designed floats while they travel the 2.5 mile route. There will be seven new floats this year shown in the parade, which include Candy Cosmos, Dora’s Fantastical Rainforest, Magic Meets the Seas, Pasta Knight, SpongeBob SquarePants Garriage, Wednesday’s Feast and Wondrous World of Wildlife. Each float represents something different, from kids TV shows to fast food mascots. The floats are a common attraction that helps make the parade as special as it is to people.
Year after year, people’s favorite performers and performance groups are shown in the parade. This year there will be 28 different performers, from the new host of Love Island U.S.A, Ariana Madix, to iconic singers, like Idina Menzel. There will be many singers shown in the parade, including Dasha, Alex Warren, Dan+Shay, Jimmy Fallon & The Roots, Walker Hayes, T-Pain and The Temptations. The performances by these artists are looked forward to by many people, excited to watch as their favorite singers take the stage. Not only are they sharing the stage with each other, but also with 11 other performance groups. These groups will bring in extraordinary performances, from college dance teams like the Kilgore College Rangerettes, to the Spirit of America Elite Cheerleading Team. There will be singing and dancing throughout the whole parade for everyone in your family to enjoy.
If you want to fill your Thanksgiving morning with great entertainment, you can watch as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade takes on its 98th annual edition this year. People’s favorite performers and performance groups take the stage throughout the parade, and everyone’s most beloved balloons and floats take on the 2.5 mile route. Make sure to tune in at 8:30am on Thursday, November 28, 2024.
