85th Macy’s Day Parade Adds New Balloons, Brings Back Classics
Today, there will be balloons over Broadway. The 85th annual Macy’s Day Parade will feature 40 balloon creations, 27 floats, 1,600 cheerleaders, a handful of celebrities and a couple of concerts.
The 2011 Macy’s Day Parade will be flying classic balloons like Kermit, Ronald McDonald, Mickey Mouse, and Snoopy, but the parade this year also features a few new balloons. Julius, Paul Frank’s famous sock-puppet monkey will be making his Macy’s Day Parade debut. Sonic the Hedgehog and a freakish Tim Burton creation will also be flying over Manhattan.
Here’s the complete balloon lineup.
- Buzz lightyear
- Clumsy Smurf
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid
- Julius
- Kermit
- Kung Fu Panda
- Pikachu
- Pillsbury Doughboy
- Ronald McDonald
- Sailor Mickey
- Snoopy
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Spider Man
- SpongeBob
- Super Cute Hello Kitty
MSNBC reports that the Macy’s Day Parade started in 1924. At the time, live animals were the big draw. It wasn’t until 1927 that Macy’s introduced the giant helium balloons.
According to WNYC, more than three million people will line the parade route in Manhattan to watch the Macy’s Day Parade. An additional 50 million will watch the parade from home.
Here’s a video of the parade from USA Today.
Is the Macy’s Day Parade included in your Thanksgiving tradition?
