The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Paradep0apw3 was soaked in the rain Thursday and briefly disrupted by Pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
New York City police disclosed that they had arrested 21 people after protesters sat down on the parade route with Palestinian flags and a Don’t Celebrate Genocide banner. It was learned that some persons protesting Israel’s war in Gaza also interrupted last year’s parade.
Thanks to the wet weather, this year’s parade saw lots of ponchos and umbrellas along with the usual lineup of giant balloons, floats and star-studded performances.
The latest edition of the yearly holiday ritual featured new Spider-Man and Minnie Mouse balloons, zoo and pasta-themed floats, an ode to Big Apple coffee and bagels, performances from Jennifer Hudson, Idina Menzel and Kylie Minogue, and more.
Some of the noticeable events were a far cry from the parade’s initial incarnation a century ago, which has always included the floats showing scenes from Mother Goose, Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, Miss Muffet and the Spider, and other fairy tales.
The event has continued to remain the same but just as the event took place in 1924 there were plenty of marching bands and lots of clowns, followed by the grand finale of Santa Claus riding through Manhattan and ushering in the holiday season.
The exciting event saw this year’s parade with 17 giant, helium-filled character balloons, 22 floats, 15 novelty and heritage inflatables, 11 marching bands, 700 clowns, 10 performance groups, award-winning singers and actors, and the WNBA champion New York Liberty.
Some other interesting parts of the event included the reality TV star Ariana Madix, hip-hop’s T-Pain, country duo Dan + Shay, The War and Treaty, The Temptations, Jimmy Fallon & The Roots, Broadway veteran Lea Salonga, and “Glow” actor and Macy’s spokesperson Alison Brie. One new float highlighted Rao’s food brand, featuring a knight and a dragon in battle made with actual pasta elements. Another celebrated the Bronx Zoo’s 125th anniversary with representations of a tiger, a giraffe, a zebra and a gorilla.
Will Coss, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade executive producer stated that the work they do was and opportunity to impact a million of people and bring a high level of joy for an extended hour of thanksgiving morning. It was noted that the joy which is spread has been the motivating factor in the past years.
The parade started at 8:30 a.m. on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and ended 2.5 miles 4 kilometres away around noon at Macy’s Herald Square flagship store on 34th Street, which serves as a stage and backdrop for performances.
The rain isn’t stopping anything the parade has only been cancelled three times, from 1942 to 1944 during World War II but organizers are monitoring wind speeds throughout the festivities to make sure it’s safe for the big balloons to fly.
Temperatures are in the upper 40s degrees F, with rain throughout the morning and winds around 10 mph (16 kph), well within the acceptable range for letting Snoopy, Bluey and their friends soar. New York City law prohibits Macy’s from flying full-size balloons if sustained winds exceed 23 mph (37 kph) or wind gusts are over 35 mph (56 kph).
The parade airs on different television stations across the US
