New Balloons, Floats and Extra Time Added to 2023 Thanksgiving Day Parade
It’s a 97 year tradition that thankfully is still going strong. The 97th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has new balloons and floats this year that add more excitement to the unofficial kickoff to the holiday season. For parade lovers there is even more to love! According to Time Out New York, the parade will start a half hour earlier with a performance by Jon Batiste at 8:30am. See below for everything we could gobble up about the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Among the new balloons an NFT character called Cool Cats will premier, the first digital native character to appear in the parade.
When is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade?
The 97th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will start at 8:30am on Thursday, November 23rd. It officially ends at Noon.
Where will the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade take place?
The parade begins at 77th St and Central Park West and ends at Macy’s Herald Square on 34th Street. Click here to see the full route.
How can you watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade?
You can watch the parade in person, of course, but from home catch the parade on NBC or stream it from anywhere with the Peacock app.
Some facts and figures about Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
The lineup will include 5,000 volunteers, 16 featured character balloons, 26 floats, 32 heritage and novelty balloons, more than 700 clowns, 12 marching bands and nine performances. The first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was held in 1924.
Seven new balloons will premiere at theMacy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade!
This year, seven new featured balloons will debut along with new favorites and old classics. These include:
Beagle Scout Snoopy – A new 50-foot-high Snoopy giant character balloon will soar over the crowds in New York City as Beagle Scout Snoopy—celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first appearance of the Beagle Scouts (including Woodstock and his bird friends) in Charles Schulz’ beloved comic strip.
Blue Cat & Chugs – This balloon by Cool Cats is a digitally native character. Cool Cats will debut as the first ever NFT collection to be featured in the iconic holiday event. The new Cool Cats character balloon will feature their core mascot character Blue Cat and his adorable friend Chugs, the milk carton.
Kung Fu Panda’s Po – The Dragon Warrior is back. This Thanksgiving, and for the first time in more than a decade, Po, the legendary star of DreamWorks Animation’s beloved Kung Fu Panda films, will soar in the parade. This year, Po will wear a new outfit, have a new outlook and celebrate a new movie. This year will mark Po’s fourth appearance in the Parade after flying in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
Leo by Netflix – Leo, the animated star of Netflix’s upcoming comedy film of the same name and voiced by Adam Sandler will make an appearance over the streets of New York City. Fun Fact: The Leo balloon is so large it took about 50 gallons of paint to cover it!
Monkey D. Luffy – Monkey D. Luffy, from the celebrated global anime franchise One Piece, will debut as one of the iconic featured character balloons in the parade. Monkey D. Luffy will embark on his newest adventure. However, this time, the beloved captain of the Straw Hats isn’t setting sail across the sea. Instead, he’ll be venturing down the streets of New York City.
Pillsbury Doughboy – The giant Pillsbury Doughboy balloon debuted in 2009, and over the past 14 years, he’s only gotten more loveable with age!
Uncle Dan – To celebrate the release of the new original holiday comedy, Migration, about a family of ducks who embark on a funny, feathered family vacation like no other, the family’s adventure-averse Uncle Dan will take to the Manhattan skyline. The massive balloon, measuring 32 feet long, 20 feet wide and 37 feet tall, is the equivalent size of a flock of almost 14,000 migrating mallard ducks in flight.
New Floats will be in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade too!
The artisans of Macy’s Studios work year-round to create the whimsical designs that will float down the streets of New York City on parade morning. Conceived, designed, engineered and built at the Macy’s Parade Studio – a design and production facility that includes carpenters, engineers, electricians, painters, animators, balloon technicians, sculptors, metal fabricators, scenic and costume designers – these magical stages are created to transport Parade fans across the country to fantastical places.
This year four new floats will debut in the Macy’s Parade celebration. The floating stages, along with their scheduled performers, include:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem by Nickelodeon & Paramount (Performance: Bell Biv DeVoe) – Turtle Power emerges in full force this Thanksgiving with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ new Mutant Mayhem float. Inspired by this summer’s hit movie, Leo, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey chase Rocksteady through a typical NYC block, creating absolute mayhem. From the sewers to the streets, the Heroes in a Half-Shell are unleashed! Float Fact: This action-packed float has 11 hidden hinges to help make it compact enough to fit through the Lincoln Tunnel en route to the Parade.
Palace of Sweets by Brach’s® (Performance: Brandy) – As tribute to the name of the original BRACH’S candy store, which opened in 1904, BRACH’S ‘Palace of Sweets’ float will dazzle the New York City Parade route.
Igniting Memories by Solo Stove (Performance: Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors) – Solos stoves have become incredibly popular lately. To celebrate their success, on Thanksgiving morning, Solo Stove will warm the hearts of live spectators and viewers across the country with its “Igniting Memories” float, depicting a beautiful outdoor campfire scene.
The Deliciously Delectable World of Wonka by Warner Bros. Pictures – This all-new float inspired by Warner Bros. Pictures’ scrumptious big screen spectacle “Wonka” will make its way down the streets of New York City. Float Fact: The illuminated candy jars on the float contain approximately 592,000 pieces of prop candy.
Santa’s Sleigh once again will kick off the holiday season!
As he does every year, the one and only Santa Claus makes his way to Macy’s Herald Square. Straight from his home at the North Pole, Santa will ride his sleigh through the streets of New York City, delighting children & adults alike. Depicting Santa’s magical night of travel around the globe on Christmas Eve, we see the famed Toy Shop, his giant bag of gifts & the beloved reindeer pulling the sleigh. Float Fact: Santa’s Sleigh is the largest float in the Parade at 60-feet long, 22-feet wide and 3 ½ stories tall.
