The Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade returned to its pre-pandemic glory on Thursday morning with a full parade filled with spectators on the streets.
This year’s 95th annual parade features 15 giant character balloons, 28 floats, 36 novelty and heritage inflatables, more than 800 clowns, 10 marching bands and nine performance groups and the ever-popular Santa Claus. Overall, about 6,500 performers are featured in this year’s celebration.
‘For our 95th celebration, Macy’s has created a spectacle to remember featuring a dazzling array of high-flying balloons, animated floats and incredible performers,’ Will Coss, the executive producer of the parade, said in a statement.’
This year’s upcoming parade comes after the downsizing of last year’s which had cut thousands of participants, limited the route to one block, and of course requested spectators to watch the anticipated holiday tradition solely on their television screens.
The 95th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving parade kicked off on Thursday morning with a cheer squad and Tom the Turkey
Snoopy, in his Nasa attire, was among the first of 15 giant character balloons to make their way through the Big Apple
The parade was open to all spectators after a scaled back version kept people home last year due to the pandemic
Some came fully dressed as turkeys and waved to celebrate the parade’s triumphant return to form in Manhattan
The parade kicked off at 9 a.m. and goes on until 12 p.m. with a plethora of balloons, floats and performers
The parade features 10 marching bands among its many acts of the morning making their way down New York City
The parade also features 28 holiday floats. The Jolly Green Giant float was among the first to hit the streets following Tom
New balloon giants joining the line-up include Ada Twist, Scientist; the pint-sized hero from ‘The Mandalorian’ and the Pokémon characters Pikachu and Eevee on a sled.
Snoopy was among the many mainstays of the parade, appearing in his NASA suit as the longest-running character to appear at the Thanksgiving Day Parade.
There will also be new floats led by the cast of ‘Girls5eva’ – Sara Bareilles, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Paula Pell and Busy Philipps – Nelly and Jordan Fisher, while Jon Batiste will be on an alligator-themed float celebrating Louisiana’s music, food and culture.
Other celebrities on hand will include Carrie Underwood, Jimmie Allen, Kelly Rowland, Rob Thomas, Kristin Chenoweth, Darren Criss, Foreigner, Andy Grammer, Mickey Guyton, Chris Lane, Miss America Camille Schrier, Muppets from ‘Sesame Street’ and the three past and current hosts of ‘Blue’s Clues’ – Steve Burns, Donovan Patton and Josh De la Cruz.
The Tom Turkey float kicked off the Big Apple’s celebration on Thursday morning, with 27 floats set to follow his lead
Red Titan, from Ryan’s World, soars over New York City with an entourage of superheroes guiding his path
Ada Twist, the pint-sized scientist from the Netflix series, was among one of the newest characters to fly at the parade
The beloved SpongeBob SquarePants graced the skies once again with an all-yellow group pulling him along
New York City’s outgoing Mayor Bill de Blasio appeared at the beginning of the parade in front of a holiday Pikachu balloon
Children watched the parade from nearby buildings and stared at the giant balloon characters passing by
Some of the returning balloons will be ‘The Boss Baby,’ ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid,’ Chase from ‘Paw Patrol,’ the Pillsbury Doughboy, Ronald McDonald, Red Titan from ‘Ryan’s World,’ Papa Smurf, Sonic the Hedgehog and SpongeBob SquarePants.
As in years past, the New York Police Department blocked off all vehicle access points to the parade route with sand-filled garbage trucks, other heavy vehicles and approximately 360,000 pounds of concrete barriers.
Thousands of officers are assigned to the parade route, including counterterrorism teams.
Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said there were no specific, credible threats to the parade.
Paw Patrol’s Chase was among the balloon characters, with the mascot from Diary of a Wimpy Kid following behind
The titular Boss Baby also made an appearance at the Big Apple joining the other 15 character balloons
More than 6,500 performance walked down the streets of Manhattan as part of the holiday celebration
The New York Police Department are stationed throughout the parade to maintain safety amid an uneasy holiday season
Among the favorites of the morning was the much anticipated Baby Yoda balloon, who was shortly followed by a procession of Storm Troopers from the popular Star Wars franchise.
Jon Batiste performed a top an alligator-themed float celebrating Louisiana’s music, food and culture. The float was one of the longest in the parade’s 95-year history.
Big Bird, Elmo and the rest of the Sesame Street gang also made an appearance on their themed float as they waved to spectators on the streets.
The popular Baby Yoda, Grogu, from The Mandalorian made a big splash at this year’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
The villainous Stormtroopers made an appearance as well performing their nefarious march down the streets of NYC
Musician Jon Batiste performed in front of the crowd of thousands a top one of the longest floats in the parade’s history
There were nine performance dance groups taking the stage at the Thanksgiving Day parade
Elmo joined Big Bird’s nest and waved on to spectators on the street aboard the popular Sesame Street float
Another of the 10 marching bands played on in between floats and balloons to celebrate the holiday
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk