NEW YORK (AP) — A giant, golden Thanksgiving turkey in a top hat rode on a float through confetti in the colors of fall leaves. A muscular Spider-Man balloon floated in the air, crouched in a web-spinning pose. From a sled piled high with presents, Santa Claus waved to spectators.
These were some of the sights at the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as it wended its way along a 2.5-mile (4-kilometer) route through central Manhattan on Thursday, 100 years after it was first staged in 1924.
This year’s revelry featured 17 helium-filled character balloons, including a yellow-skinned, blue-overalled Minion from the “Despicable Me” animated franchise, and 22 floats, one of them topped by a torch-hoisting Statue of Liberty.
Dasha rides a float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
Dasha rides a float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
Eleven marching bands came from as far away as Texas and South Dakota to join 700 clowns, 10 performing groups and celebrity guests in the procession.
Despite a soaking rain and temperatures hovering around 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 Celsius), onlookers crowded the parade route, clad in plastic ponchos and huddled under umbrellas. From inside buildings, kids pressed up against glass windows to marvel at the spectacle.
Spectators watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Spectators watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Performers walk down Sixth Avenue during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Performers walk down Sixth Avenue during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Handlers pull the Stuart the Minion balloon down Sixth Avenue during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Handlers pull the Stuart the Minion balloon down Sixth Avenue during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Spectators watch from a window as the balloon floats by along Central Park West during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Spectators watch from a window as the balloon floats by along Central Park West during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Cole Escola rides a float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
Cole Escola rides a float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
The Wednesday’s Feast float moves down Sixth Avenue during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
The Wednesday’s Feast float moves down Sixth Avenue during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
A performer dressed as a candy cane walks down Sixth Avenue during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
A performer dressed as a candy cane walks down Sixth Avenue during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Spectators watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Sixth Avenue, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Spectators watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Sixth Avenue, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
The Spider-Man balloon floats in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
The Spider-Man balloon floats in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
Chandler Butler, 6, waves at floats during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
Chandler Butler, 6, waves at floats during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
Santa Claus is seen along Central Park West during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Santa Claus is seen along Central Park West during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
The University of Massachusetts Minutemen marching band plays as it makes its way down Central Park West while participating in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
The University of Massachusetts Minutemen marching band plays as it makes its way down Central Park West while participating in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
The Dora the Explorer balloon floats in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
The Dora the Explorer balloon floats in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
People watch from their balconies above during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
People watch from their balconies above during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
Performers attempt to stay warm as they near the end of the route during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
Performers attempt to stay warm as they near the end of the route during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
The Marshall from PAW Patrol balloon floats in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
The Marshall from PAW Patrol balloon floats in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
Handlers guide a Santa Claus balloon down Sixth Avenue during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Handlers guide a Santa Claus balloon down Sixth Avenue during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
People watch from a window inside as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade goes by Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
People watch from a window inside as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade goes by Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
The New York Liberty float goes by during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
The New York Liberty float goes by during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 