Preparations begin for annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade

by · UPI

Nov. 26 (UPI) -- The annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade gets underway at 8:30 a.m. EST on Thursday, marking the event's 99th celebration of the national holiday.

This year's holiday event includes 34 balloons, 28 floats and several live performances.

Live performers who are scheduled to appear include BustaRhymes, Lainey Wilson, HUNTR/X from KPop Demons Hunters, Ciara, Cynthia Enrivo and others, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Four new balloons are scheduled to participate, including Mario by Nintendo, Pac-Man by Bandai Namco Entertainment America, Buzz Lightyear by Pixar Animation Studios and Shrek's Onion Carriage by DreamWorks Animation.

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Among new floats will be The Land of Ice & Wonder by HollandAmerica Line, Brick-tastic Winter Mountain by the Lego Group and Master Chocolatier Ballroom by Lindt.

Also new for the parade are the floats Upside Down Invasion: Stranger Things by Netflix, Friends-giving in Pop City by Pop Mart and Serta's Counting Sheep's Dream.

Santa's sleigh brings up the rear and marks the end of the parade when it passes by spectators.

Balloon preparations began at 1 p.m. EST on Wednesday and continued until 6, with each balloon taking about 90 minutes to fill with helium, Macy's spokesperson Orlanda Veras told CBS News.

The colorful parade starts at 77th Street and Central Park West and will follow a 2.5-mile route running from the Upper West Side of Midtown Manhattan, down 8th Avenue to Columbus Circle, where it turns left onto 59th Street and then right onto 6th Avenue.

Once on 6th Avenue, the parade continues to 34th Street, where it turns right and ends at Macy's flagship store on Herald Square.

Macy's says the best viewing locations for those planning to attend are on Central Park West, at the intersection of 7th Avenue and 59th Street, and at the intersection of 6th Avenue and 42nd Street.

Others can watch the parade live on local NBC channels or by livestreaming it on Peacock.

The live broadcast starts at 8:30 a.m. EST and ends at noon, but NBC will air it again starting at 2 p.m.

Viewers also can watch the parade on Telemundo.

Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade: Iconic moments from the 2000s

Mickey Mouse, decked out in bandleader uniform, leads the 74th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade along Broadway in New York City on November 23, 2000. The Mickey balloon is 40-feet high, 66-feet long and 35-feet wide. Photo by Anders Krusberg/WirePix/UPI | License Photo