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21.11.2023 - 18:58 / thepointsguy.com / Willy Wonka
Get ready for a fabulous new holiday parade extravaganza as the 97th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes to the streets this Thursday.
New York City is once again rolling out the red carpet for the annual event that follows the city's streets from Central Park West to Macy's home base at 34th Street and 6th Avenue. (Here's a fun fact I just learned: A special Macy's team spends the night before the parade turning every single streetlight and traffic light on the 2.5-mile route out of the way of the oncoming balloons.)
This year's parade features more than 5,000 volunteers, 700 clowns, 16 giant character balloons, dozens of smaller inflatables, 26 floats, 12 marching bands and nine performance groups. That's not to mention the musical stars, Broadway performances and, of course, Santa Claus, all traversing the New York City parade route.
On behalf of TPG, I got a sneak peek at the newest balloons and floats over the past two weeks that will be joining the route this year. If the parade is part of your Turkey Day celebration, I'm here to tell you that you won't be disappointed.
Expect lots of kid-friendly fun from four new floats, including a few sweet treats and a fun travel-themed option, plus seven new high-flying balloons that will put a smile on your face — even if you're just a kid at heart.
Want a sneak peek, too? Read on.
Even though there's no real candy on this sweet float based on the upcoming movie (trust me, I asked), there's plenty of eye candy to take in. There are 592,000 pieces of handcrafted prop sweets that fill the giant candy jars on the chocolate-themed float.
Some other highlights to keep an eye out for: Willy Wonka's purple velvet top coat, plus hat and cane, hanging by the "storefront door;" a "chocolate river" that flows around the base of the float; and a forest scene that looks as though it's all made of candy, including white chocolate rabbits and a pink cherry blossom tree filled with cotton candy.
There's a parade's worth of retro throwback fun on this Nickelodeon/Paramount float, starting with Leo, Raphael, Donnie and Mikey, better known as The Teenage Mutant Turtles. The iconic "heroes on the half shell" will be waving to the crowds from atop the three-story New York City street scene, complete with a pizza shop for "delivery" by costumed volunteers of the turtles' favorite food.
Another great throwback to get excited for: Bell Biv DeVoe will be performing on the float's "sewer" stage.
The parade gets even sweeter with a second candy-themed float. This one is by Brach's and feels like Santaland meets Candyland; there's a lot of Christmas theming, including a rotating, blinged-out tree and a three-story, pink-iced gingerbread house.
Keep an eye out for towering candy
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