Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade by the numbers: Fun facts and figures
The 2023 parade. Photo courtesy of Macy’s, Inc.
One of New York City’s most cherished traditions returns on Thursday. The annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will hit the streets of Manhattan for the 98th time on Thursday, November 28. As one of the city’s biggest events (30 million people watch from home and 3.5 million in person), the parade kicks off the holiday season with giant character balloons, intricately designed floats, marching bands, and musical performances. Ahead of the big event, learn some fun facts and figures about the parade, from the number of volunteers (5,000) and the hours of work by the Macy’s team (8,000+) to the number of new balloons (6).
98th parade
This year marks the 98th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The first parade took place in 1924. The parade has only been canceled three times, in 1942, 1943, and 1944 during World War II. Helium and rubber were needed for the war effort.
The route runs 2.5 miles from 77th Street and Central Park West, down to Columbus Circle, turning east on Central Park South, and then down 6th Avenue. Once it hits 34th Street, the parade makes a final turn onto 7th Avenue and ends in front of Macy’s Herald Square.
The parade has traveled this path since 1945; before that, it ran from 145th Street and Convent Avenue to Herald Square, a distance of more than 5 miles.
About 3.5 million people watch the parade live, and an additional 30 million watch the broadcast from home. The Thanksgiving Eve Balloon Inflation celebration gets about 1 million people.
32 balloons
There are 17 featured character helium balloons and 15 heritage and novelty balloons. Fan favorite balloons returning to the parade this year include Kung Fu Panda’s Po by Dreamworks Animation, Pikachu and Eeevee by The Pokémon Company, and Ronald McDonald by McDonald’s.
There are 6 new balloons this year including Disney’s Minnie Mouse, Extraordinary Noorah & The Elf on the Shelf by The Lumistella Company, Gabby by Universal Pictures’ Dreamworks Animation, Goku by Toei Animation Inc., Marshall by Nickelodeon, and Spider-Man by Marvel.
At 60 feet tall, Minnie Mouse is the tallest balloon. The longest? Spider-Man by Marvel at 77.5 feet.
22 floats
There will be 22 fantastic floats, including 7 new ones: Candy Cosmos by Haribo, Dora’s Fantastical Rainforest by Nickelodeon, Magic Meets the Seas by Disney Cruise Line, Wednesday’s Feast by Netflix, Pasta Night by Rao’s Homemade, and the Wonderous World of Wildlife by the Bronx Zoo.
Santa Claus comes in as part of the parade finale on the largest float of the event (60 feet long and 3.5 stories tall). This year’s Macy’s Santaland Express float will deliver festive magic, along with a performance by Jimmy Fallon & The Roots.
A parade float takes roughly 4 months to construct.
8,000+ hours of work
A team of 27 painters, carpenters, animators, sculptors, welders, designers, electricians, and engineers put in more than 8,000 hours of labor at the Macy’s Studios production facility leading up to the parade.
The production requires 2,000 gallons of paint, 300 pounds of glitter, and 200 pounds of confetti.
5,000 volunteers
The 98th Macy’s Parade lineup includes 5,000 volunteers, 700 clowns, 11 marching bands, and 10 performance groups.
The parade will be broadcast on NBC and streamed on Peacock from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., with an encore telecast at 2 p.m. Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, and Al Roker of the Today Show will return as hosts. A Spanish language simulcast will be available on Telemundo, hosted by Carlos Adyan and Andrea Meza.
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