Photo gallery: From Santa to celebrities, the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in pictures

NEW YORK– A giant, gold Thanksgiving turkey in a top hat rode on a float through confetti the colors of fall leaves. A muscular Spider-Man balloon floated in the air, crouched in a web-spinning position. Santa Claus waved to the spectators from a sleigh full of presents.

These were some of the sights at the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as it wound its way along a three-mile route through downtown Manhattan on Thursday, 100 years after it was first performed in 1924.

This year’s celebration included 17 helium-filled character balloons, including a yellow-skinned Minion in blue overalls from the animated series “Despicable Me,” and 22 floats, one of which was topped by a torch-hoisting Statue of Liberty.

Eleven marching bands came from as far away as Texas and South Dakota to join 700 clowns, 10 performing groups and celebrity guests in the procession.

Despite a drenching rain and temperatures hovering around 10 degrees, spectators crowded the parade route, dressed in plastic ponchos and huddled under umbrellas. From buildings, children pressed against glass windows to marvel at the spectacle.