As a seasoned gamer with a penchant for pop culture and a soft spot for nostalgia, I must say that this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was nothing short of a delightful throwback to my childhood. The sight of the new balloons, floats, and performances, coupled with the familiar marching bands and clowns, brought back memories of watching the parade with my family, huddled around our old CRT TV, waiting for Santa Claus to make his grand entrance.
Regardless of the rainfall, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade persisted, showcasing its traditional array of acts, giant balloons, and famous personalities as planned.
The parade, momentarily paused by a cluster of pro-Palestinian demonstrators, was filled with numerous raincoats and umbrellas as both participants and onlookers endured the wet conditions to be a part of the yearly event.
This year’s event showcased new balloons of Wednesday, Spider-Man, and Minnie Mouse; floats themed around zoos and pasta; a tribute to New York’s iconic coffee and bagels; and acts from Jennifer Hudson, Idina Menzel, Kylie Minogue, as well as the casts of The Outsiders and Hell’s Kitchen, the Rockettes, and many others.
Prior to the commencement of the parade, a private gathering was hosted within Macy’s Herald Square for esteemed guests such as Jessica Chastain, Alison Brie, Maura Tierney, Flavor Flav, Sherri Shepherd, Skylar Astin, Anthony Michael Hall, and Amber Ruffin. Once the reception concluded, they moved to the grandstands on 34th Street to watch the parade unfold.
Today’s presentation deviated significantly from the grand procession a hundred years back, boasting floats that depicted stories straight out of Mother Goose, Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf, Miss Muffet and the Spider, along with other classic fairy tales.
Just like back in 1924, there’s still a whole lot of marching bands and clowns around, setting the stage for the grand climax – Santa Claus cruising through Manhattan to officially kick off the festive spirit!
This year’s parade showcased a total of 17 colossal character balloons filled with helium, 22 floats, 15 novelty and heritage inflatables, 11 marching bands, approximately 700 clowns, 10 performance groups, acclaimed vocalists and thespians, and the WNBA champion New York Liberty as its highlight.
Notable figures such as Ariana Madix from reality TV, hip-hop artist T-Pain, the country music duo Dan + Shay, The War and Treaty, The Temptations, Jimmy Fallon accompanied by The Roots, and Lea Salonga from Broadway graced the event.
One new float spotlighted the 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.
Despite the rain persisting, the parade went on as planned. However, organizers kept a close eye on wind speeds during the event to ensure it was secure for the large balloons to ascend. Interestingly, the parade has only been called off three times, which were from 1942 to 1944 during World War II.
The parade was broadcast live on NBC, featuring hosts Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, and Al Roker, while it was also available for streaming on the network’s Peacock service. Simultaneously, Carlos Adyan and Andrea Meza hosted a Spanish simulcast of the event on Telemundo.
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2024-11-28 21:54