Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloon Inflation

Get the insiders line on the huge balloons for the 83rd Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. New Yorkers gather to watch the famous giant helium parade balloons get inflated , on Thanksgiving Eve, the night before the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. A long time city tradition that turns the upper west side into the main staging ground for balloon crews to carry out their last minute prepping before the big day.The inflation team consists of various volunteers from Macy’s as well as students from Stevens Institute of Technology, a local university in Hoboken, NJ where the balloons and floats are designed and built. The inflation is open to the public the afternoon and night before the parade.

A tradition since 1927, the giant character balloons are slowly blown up and brought to life in the streets around the American Museum of Natural History. Thousand gather to watch the enormous balloons take up two full city blocks. While nets and sandbags are used to keep the balloons from escaping during the night. This year will feature the introduction or reintroduction of Pillsbury Doughboy, Mickey Mouse, Ronald McDonald ,and the very popular Spider-Man .

To get the behind-the-scenes info about the preparation work that goes into the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The action starts around 4pm on Thanksgiving Even on 77th & 81st Streets between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue. Regular attendees recommend getting there around 5pm and the event ends at 8pm.

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