As Christmas Day arrives, there is one event that cannot be forgotten: the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. For over 98 years, the parade has been a tradition, and on the Streets of New York, the parade commenced again on the morning of Thanksgiving, around 8:30 am. This tradition includes giant balloons, huge floats, singers, performances, and more. The Macy’s Day Parade has been prevalent all over the world, gaining 31.1 million watchers through Peacock and NBC, not including in-person spectators.
On Thanksgiving, many families, including mine, turn on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Some people just watch and enjoy the parade, while others multitask, getting ready for their Thanksgiving meal while also being amazed.
Arguably, the floats are the best parts of the parade. They include much detail and beauty while also having amazing performers and singers to go with the float. But don’t forget the huge balloons with the people holding them, the euphonious bands, and classic Broadway shows and TV hosts Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, and Al Roker. However, this 98th year is special since it is Hoda Kotb’s last year hosting since 2018.
There were 35 floats in total this year, but I’ve narrowed it down to my top three, taking into account the design, details, and performance: Fantasy Chocolate Factory by Kinder, Wondrous World of Wildlife by the Bronx Zoo, and The Wondership by Wonder.
Starring Alex Warren, an uprising musician who shares his deep thoughts and passion through his songs, performed his most recent Billboard’s Hot 100 single, “Burning Down,” which was seen on the Fantasy Chocolate Factory float by Kinder. This float features a huge Kinder egg transporting creamy chocolate swirls down the large ferris wheel. This float includes interactive touches from flashing lights and bright colors to turning gears, surrounded by detailed, bright Kinder bakers, giving an even more whimsical touch to the float.
For the first time, Bronx Zoo made a feature in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade while also celebrating its 125th anniversary. This float showed the beauty of their animals and exhibits. It was shaped like a bridge that connected three different exhibits with different animals on it. The front of the float shows the Russian Boreal forest with a family of Amur tigers in their snowy habitat. The middle of the float features the African Savanna with a giraffe, Grevy’s zebra, ostrich, and Von Der Decken’s hornbill. Lastly, a lush rainforest was included to show the Western lowland gorilla, okapi, and African grey parrot’s habitat of the African Rainforest. I thought this was creative and went beautifully with Idina Menzel Performance of the “Great Escape,” as well as all the performers dressed as animals in the zoo. It was adorable.
The Temptations is a famous vocal group formed in the 1960’s, who are most known for their classic “My Girl,” on The Wondership float by Wonder. They performed “My Girl” on the huge Wondership, while floating on clouds, and featuring their iconic colors red, yellow, and blue. This creative ship was surrounded by people dressed in their staple colors and inside little planes to allude to “keep looking up, as you never know what wonders you might discover!”
All of the floats were original and highly detailed, allowing spectators to admire and pick their favorites. All of the featured singers on the floats were also unique and created an even more magical experience. We can now only anticipate how astounding the 99th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will be.
