What a Day! I had grandstand tickets for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. It was spectacular!!
My day started at 4:30 AM. The line to get into the grandstands starts at 5:30 AM and closes at 7:30 AM. However, there’s no guarantee you will get in so the early you get there, the better! We didn’t want to take any chances because the weather forecast predicted a sunny, warm day. We arrived at 6:30 AM.
Our tickets for the 71st Street entrance. There’s another entrance on either 77th or 79th Street. Several people in line had the wrong tickets for our entrance and had to hustle up ten blocks to get in. No, we were not seated across from Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square on 34th Street. Grandstand seats, are about thirty blocks uptown and run from 79th Street to 65th Street on Central Park West.
You had to show identification and vaccination to get past one of two checkpoints. Once inside, you’re directed to your seats and then you have about two hours to kill before the parade starts. The people sitting around us were so friendly and nice. We started chatting about every topic from A to Z that didn’t include politics(!) and the time flew by.
There’s so much to love about what I consider to be one of the best art parades. Yes, I said ‘art parade.’ Since 1969, a talented group of makers called “The Balloonatics” has designed the floats and balloons at the Macy’s Parade Studio in New Jersey.
The first parade featured live animals and nursery rhyme-themed floats such as Little Red Riding Hood, the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe, and Little Miss Muffet.
The amazing, colorful giant character balloons were introduced in 1928 to replace live zoo animals.
The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company provided the balloons’ material from the 1920s through 1980. Macy’s balloons stay thanks to 12,000 cubic feet of helium afloat. Each balloon gets pumped up on the eve of the parade.
When I first moved to the city, you could walk up and touch the balloons lying in the middle of the streets the night before the parade. Back in 1995, the night before the parade felt more like a block party. Today, seeing the balloons the night before is much more organized. The Inflation Station featuring all the balloons wraps around the perimeter of the Natural History Museum, and crowds line up to see them. It’s still fun! I have visited the Inflation station many times because there’s nothing quite like seeing these colorful, gigantic characters in person. The size and scope of each one are jaw-dropping.
The balloons are typically deflated behind the Macy’s store on 7th Avenue. The process involves:
- Unzipping them to let out the helium.
- Lying on top of the balloon.
- Rolling up the balloon to squeeze out any remaining air.
A skilled hand can deflate a balloon in 15 minutes or less.
This year’s parade featured 15 giant character balloons, 28 floats, 36 novelty and heritage inflatables, more than 800 clowns, ten marching bands and nine performance groups, and, of course, Santa Claus.
The new balloon giants included Ada Twist, Scientist; Grogu (so-called Baby Yoda from the “The Mandalorian”); and the Pokémon characters Pikachu and Eevee.
Our seats were so close to the giant character balloons, floats, marching bands, and performers. It took your breath away. It was incredible to see the crew of handlers and pilots work to stop the giant balloons from fishtailing into buildings and trees due to gusts of wind. We sat eye to eye with all the performers, many of them on stilts, which kept the energy up between the balloons and floats.
Unfortunately, I have always been too far back from the action to see these hardworking performers doing their best to spread holiday cheer in the past years. But every year I attend, no matter how far back in the crowd I am, I enjoy the experience! It never disappoints. Every time I see Santa Clause I become a child again!!
The Macy’s volunteers, participants, and spectators were friendly, kind, and upbeat. It’s one of those memories that make you love living in NYC.