Today, dozens of balloons will be inflated for Macy's 85th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade. The parade starts on Central Park West at West 77th Street and travels south. Then, it swings a left to go east onto Central Park South and then turns to head down Seventh and Sixth Avenues, hitting 42nd Street along the way and ending on 34th Street by the department store. The festivities begin at 9 a.m., mere hours after today's balloon inflation fun. more ›

Reader Rishi D. sent us this picture of The Kool-Aid Man balloon stumbling on Central Park West. Don't worry, folks—The Kool-Aid Man got back up quickly (it's no 2005 M&M balloons-hitting-street-lamp-into-people or 1997 Cat in the Hat-into-street-lamp incident). But more fun: Japanese pop artist Takashi Murakami, whose Kaikai and Kiki are new balloons in the parade, will be marching, too! more ›

The day was clear and perfect for watching giant balloons and floats meander down from the Upper West Side to Herald Square during the 83rd Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. This year, the parade's new route took the procession down Sixth and Seventh Avenues instead of Broadway (the route is now slightly longer) and millions lined the streets for the festivities. more ›

In spite of the dreary weather, thousands of New Yorkers flocked to the Upper West Side to see balloons get inflated for today's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Here are just some photographs of the pre-parade excitement—that Spider-Man balloon looks pretty awesome. more ›

This year will be the first year the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade doesn't head down Broadway for its Herald Square finale outside Macy's. Instead, the procession of balloons, floats and performers will head down Seventh and Sixth Avenues, partially due to the new pedestrian plazas in Times Square and partially because 7th and 6th Avenues are wider (in 2005, some parade watchers were struck by M&M balloons!). more ›

It's that time again—time for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. And one of the fun traditions to watching the balloons being blown up the night before. This year's Thanksgiving parade balloon inflation begins tomorrow at 3 p.m. and ends at 10 p.m., with the entrance at West 77th Street and Columbus Avenue. It does get very crowded, so be patient! more ›

There appears to be serious consideration being given to rerouting the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade so that the glowing neon spectrum of Times Square would be replaced by the yawning canyon of white-collar drudgery that defines Sixth Avenue. The Department of Transportation confirmed yesterday's reports that the parade may call off its right turn off Columbus Circle onto Broadway and continue over to the Avenue of Americas. more ›

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade might be taking a dramatic turn next year...down Sixth Avenue. For the first time in the parade's 84-year history, the city is considering redirecting it past Broadway and over to Sixth when it arrives at Columbus Circle. The mayor says that the Department of Transportation said a working group has been assembled to discuss the matter and it will be making recommendations soon. more ›

Some people were scratching their heads when Macy's announced that one of three new Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons would be a giant Smurf--especially since the popular 80's Saturday morning cartoon hasn't aired in almost 20 years. Though a press release said that Macy's was "thrilled to help the Smurfs celebrate their 50th anniversary," it might have something more to do with the live-action Alvin & the Chipmunks-style movie treatment being given to the Smurfs for the next holiday season. But which Smurf was that balloon today supposed to be? During CBS's parade coverage, speculation ran towards it being Baby Smurf, but where's Baby's onesie? Despite a resemblance to both, he's a little too on-the-go to be either Lazy or Dreamy Smurf. Could it be Jokey Smurf--running from his latest prank? It's just not right about referring to it simply as "Smurf"--the poor little guys are already Communist enough. more ›

Tomorrow is the day before Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade which means it's the day to see the parade balloons get inflated! The parade blow-up action is along 77th Street and 81st Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue, around the American of Natural History, starting at around 3PM and ending at 10PM. The crowds can be very intense, so be patient. more ›

The Post finds out that if sold, the inflated balloon of artist Jeff Koons' Rabbit, which made its debut appearance in the 81st Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday, would go for $5 million. The balloon isn't for sale, but the parade is so happy with the balloon that it's interested in ideas from other artists. Um, formaldehyde Damien shark, anyone? Or how about a Takashi Murakami Mr. Pointy balloon? Dan Flavin light balloon?... more ›

Two men walking along the East 79th transverse near Fifth Avenue were robbed at gunpoint by four men around 7:15PM on Wednesday night. The victims, ages 34 and 38, gave up their wallets and a cellphone for the robbers, who are described as young "black males between 18 and 20" years old" who "fled in the direction of the Great Lawn." The 34-year-old victim spoke to the Daily News and explained he and his partner... more ›

Yesterday's lovely weather made the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade a big crowd pleaser. An estimated 3.5 million spectators watched as giant balloons, floats, and hundreds of parade performers sauntered from 77th and Central Park West to Herald Square. Some people waited since 4AM in hopes of catching a glimpse of their favorite performers, who included Dolly Parton, Wynonna, the cast of Legally Blonde, American Idol winner Jordin Sparks, Good Charlotte, Menudo (really!), the Rockettes... more ›

Starting in the afternoon, the masses traveled to the Upper West Side yesterday to see the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons get inflated on West 77th and West 81st Streets between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue. By 6PM, crowds were penned in for blocks - it took us about 30-40 minutes of shuffling and snaking around before we could get close to any balloons. We suspect the Broadway stagehands' strike as well as... more ›

Another gloomy day today. A bit of fog this morning may delay flights out of town. You may also have weather-caused delays if you're going to northern New England (ice and snow), Chicago-Detroit-Milwaukee (rain) and the front range of the Rockies from Denver northward (snow). If you're staying in town you can expect cloudy skies and mild temperatures with a high in the mid-50s. It won't cool off much tonight, making for a comfortable... more ›

Tomorrow is one of our favorite days of the year: The annual Thanksgiving Eve inflation of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons! more ›

Green M&Ms have held this mythic place in many people's candy-eating consciences, whether due to fables, Van Halen's concert riders or advertising. And now green M&M's will be associated with a very real place in New York - Central Park. Tomorrow, M&M's World Store in Times Square will start selling a special new color, Central Park Green, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Central Park Conservancy. These M&M's have a mottled... more ›

Yesterday's 80th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade went off smoothly, if very wet. The big balloons were kept low to the ground, due to concerns about the high winds, and basically stayed out of trouble, though, according to the NY Times, a Humpty Dumpty balloon "somersaulted" as one point and a Garfield balloon handler slipped during a gust. more ›

With weather advisories in effect, warning of storms and winds, city officials are contemplating what to do with Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons. From the NY Times:

The poor weather and heightened oversight could ground some or all of the 13 big balloons — 1 fewer than last year — that are set to fly today, starting at 9 a.m. In the best case, they could be flown so low as to practically be floats. In the worst case, as Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg warned, the hapless helium-filled creatures could be pulled onto side streets and summarily deflated. more ›

Get ready for some helium action! The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons will be blown up tomorrow at 3PM on the Upper West Side. The blow-up is basically all around the American Museum of Natural History - along at 77th and 81st Streets between Central Park West and Columbus. There may be a helium shortage (who knew?), but planners know and have taken that into account. Just be sure to bundle up. more ›

A look at some noteworthy programs this week: more ›

The History Channel is creating a wild, NYC-centric float for this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. According to its press release:

Designed to mirror a child's tin wind-up toy, The History Channel float will feature a giant replica of New York City's most famous skyscraper, the Empire State Building. In addition, the float will reveal through its wind-up motion, iconic dates, celebrations and locations, tracing the history of New York City. Through the artistry of the Macy's Parade Studio team, the float will feature landmark events throughout history from the unveiling of the Statue of Liberty to Babe Ruth's defining moments at Yankee Stadium, to the world-famous World War II "Kiss" in Times Square, all helping to bring history to life.

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