Balloons, bands and Santa part of Macy’s parade in New York
NEW YORK — Beloved characters like Snoopy and SpongeBob SquarePants soared through the skies above New York City on Thursday and bands marched along the streets below as the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade ushered 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 was 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 included Jon Batiste, Bell Biv DeVoe, Brandy, Jessie James Decker, Pentatonix and Miss America 2023 Grace Stanke.
The parade also included 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 tall, as well as ones that have been there before — like SpongeBob, coming in at 44 feet.
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 chilly, sunny morning. Children were on the shoulders of their parents, shouting as characters like Bluey and Big Bird from Sesame Street passed by.
Terri Brown, her husband and their children, ages 3, 5 and 8, were groggy after the 30-mile drive from Westfield, NJ. 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.”