Despite the rain, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade forged ahead with its annual lineup of performances, oversize balloons and celebrities.
The parade, which also was briefly halted due to a group of pro-Palestinian protesters, saw lots of ponchos and umbrellas as participants and spectators braved the wet weather to take part in the annual spectacle.
This year’s lineup featured new Wednesday, Spider-Man and Minnie Mouse balloons; zoo and pasta-themed floats; an ode to Big Apple coffee and bagels; and performances from Jennifer Hudson, Idina Menzel and Kylie Minogue, along with the casts of The Outsiders and Hell’s Kitchen, the Rockettes and more.
Ahead of the parade, a private reception was held inside Macy’s Herald Square for celebrity guests guests including Jessica Chastain, Alison Brie, Maura Tierney, Flavor Flav, Sherri Shepherd, Skylar Astin, Anthony Michael Hall and Amber Ruffin. After the reception, the group watched the parade from the grandstands on 34th Street.
The lineup was a far cry from the parade’s initial incarnation a century ago, which featured floats showing scenes from Mother Goose, Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, Miss Muffet and the Spider and other fairy tales.
Some things remained the same, though. As in 1924, there are 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.
This year’s parade featured 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.
Other highlights included reality TV star Ariana Madix, hip-hop’s T-Pain, country duo Dan + Shay, The War and Treaty, The Temptations, Jimmy Fallon & The Roots and Broadway veteran Lea Salonga.
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.
While the rain doesn’t stop the parade from taking place, organizers did monitor wind speeds throughout the festivities to make sure it was safe for the big balloons to fly. The parade has only been canceled three times, from 1942 to 1944 during World War II.
The parade aired on NBC with hosts Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker and streamed on the network’s Peacock service. Carlos Adyan and Andrea Meza hosted a Spanish simulcast on Telemundo.
