On Thursday, November 27, 2025, the streets of Manhattan hosted the 99th edition of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the iconic event that for over a century inaugurated the celebrations of Thanksgiving in the United States. The parade began at 8:30 a.m. on the Upper West Side, West 77th Street and Central Park West, and ended at noon in front of Herald Square’s Macy’s flagship store on 34th Street, after crossing the heart of Midtown through Columbus Circle, Central Park South and 6th Avenue. The event has seen the participation of celebrities, artists, bands and the inevitable Santa Claus, while the streets have turned into a triple of colors and music for tens of thousands of spectators who had gathered since the early hours of the morning. The parade, represented not only an entertainment show but also a celebration of the tradition of Thanksgiving, national holiday proclaimed by President George Washington in 1789, and since then, every fourth Thursday of November, millions of Americans gather to thank what they have.
This year the New York parade offered an extraordinary selection of 34 giant balloons, including five new characters. Among the novelties featured Buzz Lightyear, at his first appearance, the onion-shaped carriage with eight characters of the Shrek saga, the Freida dash, the Greybow trout and a new Macy’s red star. Among the classics that continued to enchant the audience were Snoopy, Bluey, Pikachu and Eevee, Marshall of PAW Patrol and, of course, Tom Turkey, symbol of the festival, and the turkey carriage in the center of the parade, surrounded by bands and dancers. Designed and created by artists and engineers of Macy’s Studio, the parade has seen working about 100 technicians and volunteers to inflate the balloons, an operation that takes about eight hours, as explained by Kathleen Wright, responsible for the production operations of Macy’s Studios. The allegorical wagons also gave a show, including the new Holland America Line “Terra del Ghiaccio e delle Meraviglie”, inspired by winter, while the city was animated by clowns, musical bands and street artists throughout the route.
Live performances helped make the event even more memorable: Broadway star Cynthia Erivo performed in the opening, followed by Audrey Nuna, EJAE and Rei Ami of HUNTR/X, a female group at the center of the Netflix success “KPop Demon Hunters”, along with Ciara, Foreigner, Lil Jon, Kool & the Gang, Busta Rhymes, Mickey Guyton and Teyana. Among the spectators there was also our editorial staff of the “New York City”, who lived every moment from the start to the end of the procession, among the emotion of children watching the giant balloons librate in the sky, the curiosity of tourists and the enthusiasm of New Yorkers who have been participating in this tradition for decades, witnessing the cultural importance of the parade as a symbol of community and gratitude.
The 99th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade once again confirmed its iconicity, mixing novelty and tradition, with a unique combination of technology, art and entertainment. From the turkey that guides the procession, to the characters, each element has contributed to tell a collective story, that of Thanksgiving, in which gratitude, joy and wonder become protagonists.
Article Our story of the 99th Macy’s Parade comes from IlNewyorkese.
