Crews lined West 77th Street on Wednesday to inflate balloons for this year's Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, including Marshall from "Paw Patrol" and Spider-Man.
Julia Day, who lives on the Upper West Side, said she has a special appreciation for the annual tradition.
“It’s really impressive to see how many people are involved in working together to get them blown up,” Day said.
What You Need To Know
- Crews lined West 77th Street on Wednesday to inflate balloons including Marshall from "Paw Patrol" and Spider-Man for this year's Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
- Some of the people watching came from out of town, including from Florida and New Jersey. The parade kicks off at 8:30 a.m. Thanksgiving morning
- The parade will include performances from Jennifer Hudson and The Temptations ,as well as and an appearance from WNBA champions the New York Liberty
Families were there to witness the preparations.
“Perfect day to see all of the floats,” Brooklyn resident Stu Rossin said. "It’s exciting.”
Stephanie Anello brought her family from Tampa, Florida. She said it’s been a bucket list item to be in the city to watch the balloon inflation ahead of the parade.
“I’ve grown up watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade my entire life, and Santa Claus coming down at the end is a big part of our Thanksgiving tradition. And being in New York to see the parade for the first time is pretty awesome,” Anello said.
For the Katchmars from New Jersey, returning to the balloon inflation year after year is second nature.
“Watching all the performances and seeing all the floats in the sky is really cool being there,” Chloe Katchmar said.
“We’re super excited — bummed it’s going to rain tomorrow potentially, but we are going to take advantage of the nice weather today,” Nicole Katchmar, Chloe’s mom, said.
In addition to the balloons, those attending said they are also excited for the performances and lineup, including Jennifer Hudson, The Temptations and the New York Liberty with Ellie the Elephant.
The parade kicks off at 8:30 a.m. Thanksgiving morning.