NYC comes roaring back with spectacular Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade 

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

Source: DailyMail