A travel expert has revealed her top tips for the “best viewing experience” at the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the new floats and balloons to look out for this year.
The 2023 celebration kicks off at 8:30 a.m. Thursday in New York City and will feature 31 floats, 25 balloons, 11 marching bands and performances by more than a dozen stars, including Cher and Jon Batiste.
Today, anchors Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker will host the broadcast event, which will air on NBC and livestream on Peacock on Thanksgiving Day for those tuning in at home.
Before the parade, the travel website The points man brought in an expert to give fans a behind-the-scenes look at some of the new floats and advice to those in attendance.
A travel expert at The Points Guy has revealed her three tips for watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on TikTok, saying you should wait in line between 4 a.m. and 7 a.m.
She also suggested checking out the balloon inflation the night before the parade, especially if you can’t make it to the event the next day
The expert’s final tip was: ‘dress warmly and bring something to keep you occupied’ while you wait for the parade to start
Macy’s is debuting six new floats this year: Camp Snoopy, the Good Burger Mobile, Igniting Memories, Mutant Mayhem, the Palace of Sweets and the Deliciously Delectable World of Wonka.
“Some are themed around famous movies and TV shows like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Good Burger, and others are collaborations with big-name brands like Brach’s,” the travel guru explains in the video.
“Keep an eye out for the Willy Wonka float with a cotton candy tree and 592,000 candies in lighted jars,” she advises.
“Plus, the Solo Stove float will look like a real campsite floating along the parade route.”
The Points Guy’s video features footage of the new floats at the Macy’s Parade Studio in New Jersey, where the set pieces, balloons and costumes are housed.
“There will also be seven new balloons in the parade: Beagle Scout Snoopy, Kung Fu Panda’s Po, Leo the Lizard, Monkey D. Luffy, the Pillsbury Doughboy, Blue Cat and Chugs, and Uncle Dan,” she adds.
The Points Guy employee also made three recommendations for the millions of people who will watch the show in person.
The 2.8-mile parade route starts at 8:30 a.m. at West 77th Street and Central Park West and ends at the Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square at noon.
The travel guru also gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at some of the new floats being housed in the Macy’s Parade Studio, including the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles float.
Brach’s new Palace of Sweets float is covered in candy canes and gum drops
“Keep an eye out for the Willy Wonka float with a cotton candy tree and 592,000 candies in lighted jars,” she advised
The Solo Stove float is designed to look like a real campsite, complete with trees
“There will also be seven new balloons in the parade: Beagle Scout Snoopy, Kung Fu Panda’s Po, Leo the Lizard, Monkey D. Luffy, the Pillsbury Doughboy, Blue Cat and Chugs, and Uncle Dan,” she added .
The expert advises getting up ‘super early’ to score the best viewpoints.
“For certain spots around the parade route, from Central Park West and Macy’s home base at 34th Street and Sixth Avenue, this means getting there between 4 and 7 a.m., depending on the spot,” she explains.
She also suggests watching the balloon inflation the night before the parade, especially if you can’t make it to the event the next day.
“At West 72nd Street and Central Park West, you can follow a path of balloons inflated with helium starting at noon,” she says.
The expert’s final tip is to ‘dress warmly and bring something to keep you occupied’ while you wait for the parade to start.
“Since the route is two and a half miles long, the lead protesters won’t reach Macy’s until around 9:40 a.m.,” she notes.
“This means you’ll have some free time before you can watch the show.”