Thanksgiving

Balloons, bands and Santa: Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade ushers in the holiday season

Among the big names performing are Cher, Bell Biv DeVoe, Brandy, Jessie James Decker and Pentatonix

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Here are some of the highlights of the 2023 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons.

What to Know

  • Beloved cartoon characters like Snoopy and SpongeBob SquarePants are taking to the skies above New York City in the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
  • The parade, marking its 97th year, starts Thursday on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and makes its way alongside Central Park in front of big crowds before ending up in front of Macy’s flagship store on 34th Street.
  • The broadcast is hosted by Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker from “Today” and airs on NBC and Peacock

Beloved characters like Snoopy and SpongeBob SquarePants soared through the skies above New York City Thursday while bands marched along the streets below as the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade ushers in the holiday season.

The parade started on Manhattan's Upper West Side making its way alongside Central Park in front of big crowds and a national television audience before ending in front of Macy's flagship store on 34th Street.

Among the big names performing is Cher, who just released her first Christmas album. The Oscar-, Emmy- and Grammy Award-winner has a prime spot — performing just before the arrival of Santa Claus, which marks the end of the parade.

Other celebrities and musical groups taking part include Jon Batiste, Bell Biv DeVoe, Brandy, Jessie James Decker, Pentatonix and Miss America 2023 Grace Stanke. The parade also includes performances from the casts of some Broadway shows.

The parade was briefly disrupted when about a half-dozen protesters in jumpsuits covered in fake blood glued themselves to the street just in front of a float carrying characters from the fast food giant McDonald's. They carried a banner that said “Free Palestine” and “Genocide then. Genocide now" and were taken into custody.

The parade continued as police worked.

New balloons debuting this year include Leo the lizard, a character from a Netflix film, who is more than 40 feet (12.5 meters) tall, as well as ones that have been there before — like SpongeBob, coming in at 44 feet (13.4 meters).

Some characters, like Snoopy, have been in the parade for many years, but this year's balloon is a new Beagle Scout Snoopy version — celebrating the 50th anniversary of his first appearance in the Peanuts comics.

The parade isn't just about what's going on in the skies, though. At street level, the procession includes more than two dozen floats, interspersed with marching bands from around the country and a number of clown crews among the 8,000 people participating, organizers said.

Thousands lined the streets in coats on a sunny morning. Children were on the shoulders of their parents, shouting as Snoopy and SpongeBob and Leo the Lizard went by.

Terri Brown, her husband and their children, ages 3, 5 and 8, were groggy after the 30-mile (50-kilometer) drive from Westfield, New Jersey. But their faces lit up as the parade started.

“I’ve always wanted to bring them here since I used to come as a kid,” Brown said. “I’m happy it’s good weather.”

Ross Greenstein drove 10 hours from Michigan to catch the parade with his daughter, who is studying law in New York, as well as his wife and two other children. Before Thursday, he had only seen the parade on TV.

“I grew up every Thanksgiving, waking up and jumping on the couch and watching the parade,” Greenstein said. “We came to see the parade for the first time in my life and it feels very surreal."

This is the 97th time the parade has been held since 1924.

The broadcast is hosted by Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker from “Today” and airs on NBC.

President Joe Biden and his wife Jill called NBC during the parade. The president told Al Roker that people should take a moment to be thankful to live in a country with so much.

“We’re the greatest nation in the world. We should focus on that. We should focus on dealing with our problems and stop the rancor,” Biden said.

The Morton the Nantucket Sea Monster balloon floats down Broadway in thirteenth annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. (Photo by Walter Kelleher/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)
Sea serpent (surprise! it’s only a big balloon!) swoops down on crowds watching thirteenth annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade on Broadway and 56th St. (Photo by Walter Kelleher/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)
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A Pinocchio balloon floats down Broadway in the thirteenth annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. (Photo by Walter Kelleher/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)
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He’s 46 feet tall and all gas. Helium, that is. The overwhelming gent floating along Central Park West at 68th St. was one of the huge balloons highlighting Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. (Photo by NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)
Part of the Thanksgiving Day Parade that officially brings Santa Claus into the Metropolis, New York, New York, 22nd November 1928. The Fish Balloon is 35 feet long, while the Tiger Balloon is 60 feet long, and will be released as the parade nears its end on Broadway. (Photo by Underwood Archives/Getty Images)
A 75-foot long Happy Dragon sails over Columbus Circle. (Photo by Gordon Rynders/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)
A giant Eddie Cantor balloon, followed by the Big Bad Wolf, in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, New York City, 22nd November 1934. (Photo by FPG/Archive Photos/Getty Images)
It sure is a fine day for ducks, says Donald as he floats down the street in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. (Photo by Gordon Rynders/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)
It’s not a bird and it’s not a plane, it’s Superman in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. (Photo by Paul DeMaria/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)
Might Mouse makes a spectacle of himself at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. (Photo by Hal Mathewson/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)
(Original Caption) New York: Thanksgiving Day – Macy’s Parade. ‘Here comes Popeye. The pipe-puffing sailor man, high-strung and swaying in a brisk breeze, floats over Times Square as one of the balloon characters in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. A million kids of all ages saw it.’
Smokey the Bear balloon passes over head during the 1966 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade — Photo by: NBCU Photo Bank
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A parade balloon in the shape of a New York City cop is led down the street during the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Balloons from 1930s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parades, photographed circa 1955. (Photo by Jerry Cooke/Corbis via Getty Images)
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Arthur balloon is guided along the parade route during the 72nd annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. (Photo by David Handschuh/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)
Pictured: Charlie Brown balloon at the 2002 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 28, 2002 — NBC Photo: Eric Liebowitz/NBCU Photo Bank
Woody Woodpecker Balloon in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, New York City, New York (Photo by: Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Pictured: A ballerina pig balloon during the 1997 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade — Photo by: NBCU Photo Bank
(Original Caption) New York, New York: A giant inflatable balloon of Kermit the Frog makes its way down the parade route during the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.
Pictured: The Barney balloon during the 1997 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade — Photo by: NBCU Photo Bank
Pictured: The Garfield balloon during the 1997 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade — Photo by: NBCU Photo Bank
Spiderman Balloon in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, New York City, New York (Photo by: Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The “Pikachu” balloon sponsored by The Pokemon Company floats down Broadway during the 75th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 22 November 2001 in New York. (Photo credit should read STAN HONDA/AFP via Getty Images)
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