Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 2011

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Celebrates 85 Years

Since 1924, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade^� has kicked off the holiday season in New York City. More than 2.5 million people line the streets every year to see giant balloons, floats, marching bands, and waving celebrities (while 44 million more tune in to the NBC TV broadcast).

This year, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will celebrate its 85th anniversary as a New York institution with new giant helium character balloons, spectacular new floats, and special performances.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade by the numbers: The parade will feature more than 10,000 participants; 27 floats; 15 giant character balloons; 44 novelty balloons, balloonicles and balloonheads; 1,600 cheerleaders, dancers and performance group members; 800 clowns; 11 marching bands; a troupe of celebrity performers; and the man of the season, Santa Claus.

New Macy's Parade Balloons and Floats for 2011

For the 85th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, some spectacular new balloons will take to the skies over New York City. New balloons will include filmmaker Tim Burton's lonely balloon boy, Paul Frank’s Julius the sock monkey (complete with jet pack), Sega’s Sonic the Hedgehog (returning to the parade after a debut in 1993), and the Aflac Duck.

Returning balloons will include Buzz Lightyear, Clumsy Smurf, Diary of A Wimpy Kid,Hello Kitty, Kermit the Frog, Kung Fu Panda™, Pikachu, Pillsbury Doughboy®, Ronald McDonald®, Sailor Mickey, Snoopy the Flying Ace, Spider-Man® and SpongeBob SquarePants.

New Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade floats will feature scenes depicting Frozen Fall Fun, the Gift of Freedom, Hats Off to Our Heritage, and frolicking polar bears. Returning crowd favorites will include floats from Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer, The Smurfs, Snoopy, and more.

Celebrities Join the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Stars participating in the 2011 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade festivities will include Mary J. Blige, Cobra Starship, Cee Lo Green, Avril Lavigne, Scotty McCreery, the cast and Muppets of Sesame Street, Miss America 2011 Teresa Scanlan, Willard Scott, Straight No Chaser, Johnny Weir and many others.

See the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will start at approximately 9AM on Thursday, November 24th, 2011 and end at approximately noon.

Planning to view the parade in person this year? Here's what you need to know.

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Route:
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will begin at 77th Street and Central Park West, march south on Central Park West, then turn east and continue along Central Park South to 7th Avenue. The procession will turn and march down 7th Avenue to 42nd Street, then travel east along 42nd Street to 6th Avenue. At 6th Avenue, the parade will head south again and march to 34th Street/Herald Square. See a map of the 2011 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade route.


Best Macy's Thanksgiving Parade Viewing Locations:
Organizers say you'll have the best views on Central Park West between 61st and 72nd Streets.


Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Viewing Tips
You can't buy tickets for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. It's free and open to the public, but you won't be able to see much unless you plan ahead.

• Make sure you get there early if you want a good view. The crowd starts to form as early as 6:30AM for a sort of informal pre-parade street party. Stop for donuts and coffee and have breakfast al fresco while you wait.
• Macy's advises people to leave folding chairs at home. They become cumbersome when the crowds start filling up the sidewalk.
• Don't forget to dress warmly. November in New York gets pretty chilly after a couple of hours outside. Layers are always a good bet.

If you would rather stay inside, you can watch the parade live on NBC's Today Show from 9AM to 12 Noon.


Getting to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade:
The New York City subway system is your easiest option for getting to the parade.

• Take the D to 34 St./Herald Square or 59 St./Columbus Circle.
• Take the C to 42 St./Times Square, 50 St./8th Ave., 59 St./Columbus Circle, 72 St./Central Park West, or 81 St./Central Park West.
• Take the 1,2,3 to 42 St./Times Square or 72 St./Broadway. The 1 local will also stop at 50 St./Broadway and 59 St./Columbus Circle.

For other subway and bus options, check the MTA New York City Transit Subway Map

Get information about driving and parking in Manhattan for Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

For More Information About the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Visit the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade^R site or call the Parade hotline at (212) 494-4495.

Don't miss the inflation of the parade balloons on Thanksgiving Eve.

See photos of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Find Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Souvenirs and Gifts

Plan your NYC Thanksgiving -- from Thanksgiving Eve partying to Turkey Day dinner to Black Friday shopping