• The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City is expected to draw three million spectators Thursday.
• That’s about 500,000 more people than organizers anticipated last year.
• The parade will feature 16 giant character balloons, 28 floats, 12 marching bands, 700 clowns.

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City is expected to draw three million spectators Thursday as balloons, floats, and marching bands make their way from the Upper West Side to Macy’s flagship store at Herald Square.

That’s about 500,000 more people than organizers anticipated last year. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the parade was only broadcast on television in 2020.

The parade, which began in 1924, will feature 16 giant character balloons, 28 floats, 12 marching bands, 700 clowns, a slew of musical stars, and Santa Claus this year, according to organizers.

If you want to get a head start on the big event, you can watch the balloons being inflated on the Upper West Side at 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue on Wednesday afternoon from noon to 6 p.m. ET.

The parade will begin at 8:45 a.m. ET on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 24, with TV coverage from 9 a.m. to noon.

All of the festivities, of course, result in road closures.

According to the NYPD, “heavy traffic conditions are expected, and there will be rolling street closures in Manhattan, so mass transit is strongly encouraged.”

On Wednesday and Thursday, a list of affected routes can be found here.

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