In just over a week, the streets of New York City will be filled with floats and parade-goers in the 90th Anniversary of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
The parade, which starts at 9 a.m. eastern time on Thanksgiving Day, will feature 26 floats including the new Girl Scouts “Building a Better World,” a fun house float standing three stories tall, “Aloha Spirit” honoring Hawaii and including an active waterfall and erupting volcano and more.
More than 10,000 people will participate in the annual parade, which the parade’s executive producer Amy Kule says holds meaning to the city. “We always talk about the parade as being our gift to New York and to the country and when you get a gift, you never ask the price,” Kule said.
John Piper, the Macy’s Parade Studio Creative Director, spoke on how the parade is important at a time of political instability in the country.
“At a time when there are political protests dominating the streets right now, organizers say what we need at least for a moment is to see these colors, these lights on the floats, the balloons and, of course, these very happy characters to give a different perspective,” Piper said. “We are going to move forward with the greatest country, the greatest democracy, on the planet.”
The parade has only been cancelled for three years during World War II. It marched on after the September 11 terrorist attacks and after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
“The Kennedy family reached out to Macy’s and said please make sure that the parade goes on because the country needs it, and to do so reminds everybody just how great things can be,” Piper said.