Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

We’re one day away from Thanksgiving and the Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. For those of us staying close to home to be with Family & Friends, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade starts at 8AM Central time. The parade showcases 10,000 participants, and crowds of 2 to 3.5 million cram Manhattan’s streets for a close-up view. Another 50 million people will watch the parade on TV

To those that work the annual parade, it all begins Wednesday afternoon and working throughout the night. These staffers along with other Macy's employees, temporary studio workers and volunteers will assemble 30 large floats and inflate 16 giant balloons. They'll get dozens of other parade elements, such as that confetti-shooting catapult, ready to go for the 8 a.m. parade start time.

A messy winter storm moving into the East Coast appeared to be a threat to ground the balloons this year. The balloons may not lift off Thursday if sustained winds exceed 23 mph and gusts exceed 34 mph, according to city rules. Current forecasts call for sustained winds of 20 mph and gusts of 36 mph.
"At this time, it is too early to make any determinations on the flight of the giant balloons," said Macy's spokesman Orlando Veras. "On Thanksgiving morning, Macy's works closely with the NYPD, who, based on real time weather data and the official regulations, determine if the balloons will fly and at what heights."
Balloons have only been grounded once in the parade's 87-year history, when bad weather kept them from flying in 1971.