The unofficial start of the 2009 holiday season is, as it is every year, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, taking place on Thanksgiving Day, November 26th, beginning at 9am. For the first time in many years, the parade route for the 83rd annual parade has been altered, heading through Times Square along Seventh Avenue instead of Broadway. The new path provides enhanced spectator viewing while serving as a grand backdrop for all the festivities.
You can view the parade at any point on its route -- beginning at 77th Street & Central Park West, the parade travels south to 59th Street before it turns onto Seventh Avenue. From there, the Parade marches through Times Square to 42nd Street, where it travels over to Sixth Ave. to end at Macy’s Herald Square at 34th Street and Seventh Avenue. (The best spot to view the parade is Central Park West between 61st & 72nd Sts. -- be sure to arrive early!)
America’s Parade features over 10,000 Macy’s employees, volunteers, marching bands, clowns, balloons, floats and performers in tow. Over 3.5 million spectators will line the streets of New York City and more than 50 million viewers will catch the celebration on television nationwide.
From its humble beginning in November 1924 to its present-day holiday-defining status, the Macy’s Parade has truly become a one-of-a-kind world-famous holiday event. For generations the “longest-running show on Broadway” has brought families together to celebrate the start of the holiday season. From the introduction of the Parade’s signature giant helium balloons in 1927 to the Parade’s starring role in the holiday film classic Miracle on 34th Street, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade continues to define the holidays as it brings joy to millions of Americans across the country.
The 83rd edition of the annual spectacular features more than 1,200 cheerleaders, 800 clowns, 11 giant helium character balloons, 35 novelty balloons and balloonicles, 11 marching bands, 27 floats, and a host of celebrities and large performance groups; all totaling more than 10,000 participants. The Macy’s Parade with all its pomp and pageantry is the biggest and most elaborate show on Broadway.
For those in the know, the holiday revelry begins the night before Thanksgiving as the giant balloon characters in the legendary Parade line-up are pumped up with helium in preparation for their flights down the parade route. At this event, families get an up-close and personal view of the Macy’s Parade Balloons as they grow to giant proportions. The entrance to Macy’s Parade Balloon Inflation is located at 77th Street and Columbus Avenue, near the American Museum of Natural History.
For more information, call the parade hotline at 212-494-4495 or click here.
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