dragon ball | It's Christmas 365

Cue the Confetti! The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade returns to march down the streets of New York City, marking the official kickoff of the holiday season for millions of people.

The parade features 16 giant character balloons, 28 floats, 40 novelty and heritage inflatables, more than 700 clowns, 12 marching bands and 20 performance groups, a host of musical stars, and — of course — Santa Claus!

The Macy’s Parade will begin its march a little earlier this year — beginning at 8:45 a.m.

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will air nationwide in the United States on NBC and stream on Peacock, on Thursday, Nov. 24, from 9 a.m. to noon in all time zones.

New Balloons

Bluey by BBC Studios
Diary of A Wimpy Kid by Abrams Books
Dino and Baby Dino by Sinclair Oil
Stuart the Minion from Illumination
New specialty balloon, The Hottest Heart
New balloonicle of Striker, the U.S. Soccer Star, by FOX Sports

New Floats

Baby Shark by Pinkfong and Nickelodeon
Geoffrey’s Dazzling Dance Party by Toys R Us
People of First Light by Macy’s
Supersized Slumber by Netflix
The Wondership by Wonder

How to watch the Macy’s Parade

Here’s how to watch the Macy’s Parade.

Broadway performances

Lea Michele and the cast of Broadway’s “Funny Girl”
“A Beautiful Noise”
“Some Like It Hot”
“Disney’s The Lion King,” celebrating 25 years on Broadway
Radio City Rockettes

Toys R Us, Wonder Bread to debut floats at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

When the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade marches through New York City in November, the 96th iteration of this mega celebration will include three new — and very recognizable — floats.

Giant balloons

ADA TWIST, SCIENTIST
Netflix
Ada, the pint-sized scientist from the popular Netflix series Ada Twist, Scientist, sets off on another parade adventure this Thanksgiving. This balloon version of Ada is as big as her giant-sized curiosity! With a pen tucked behind her ear & sporting her signature lab coat, Ada shows us the magic of science all around us!
Balloon Dimensions: 41 feet long, 29 feet wide, 51 feet tall
Fun Fact: If you lined up 27 real pens, they would equal the length of the pen behind Ada’s ear!

Astronaut Snoopy
Peanuts Worldwide
Celebrating the wonder of space flight, Snoopy — the longest-running giant character balloon in the Macy’s Parade — will return to the sky above New York City decked out in astronaut gear. This balloon design marks the eighth version of Charles M. Schulz’s treasured comic character & was built to celebrate the legacy of Peanuts’ relationship to the Apollo missions and future space missions, including Artemis 1, where Snoopy
returns to space as the Zero Gravity Indicator.
Balloon Dimensions: 43 feet long, 29 feet wide, 49 feet tall
Fun Fact: This year’s appearance will be Snoopy’s 43rd, the most of any balloon! His very first balloon was the 1968 Flying Ace, and a year later, he was reworked as an Apollo astronaut.

Bluey
BBC Studios
Bluey arrives from Australia to explore the Big Apple for the very first time. This lovable pup from the global hit series is excited to bring families together year-round—and not just on holidays—by sharing the power of creativity and imaginative play. Wackadoo!
Balloon Dimensions: 51 feet long, 37 feet wide, 52 feet tall
Fun Fact: Bluey was hand-painted by a team of artists with approximately 50 gallons of blue paint!

The Boss Baby
Dreamworks Animation
The adorable suit-wearing, briefcase-carrying Boss Baby returns to the Parade this year. Don’t let his cute looks fool you, this big baby is all business when it comes to completing any secret mission he is assigned.
Balloon Dimensions: 32 feet long, 28 feet wide, 48 feet tall
Fun Fact: The Boss Baby is carrying a briefcase so big it can hold 540,000 crayons!

Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Abrams Books
Greg Heffley, the mega-popular star of the best-selling book series Diary of a Wimpy Kid, appears in the Parade for the 13th time this Thanksgiving. Beware of the Cheese Touch! Things get cheesy in the third edition of this balloon as it makes its Macy’s Parade debut to celebrate the release of the 17th book in the series, Diper Överlöde, on Oct. 25.
Balloon Dimensions: 45 feet long, 23 feet wide, 39 feet tall
Fun Fact: Wimpy Kid’s backpack is large enough to hold about 2,000 regular backpacks inside of it.

Dino and Dino Baby
Sinclair Oil
Sinclair Oil & Dino (pronounced DYE-NO), America’s most famous Apatosaurus, return to NYC with an all-new Baby DINO friend to celebrate Sinclair’s growing family.
Balloon Dimensions: 68 feet long, 26 feet wide, 49 feet tall
Fun Fact: Baby Dino is a separate balloon and is attached to DINO’s back from several connection points.

Goku
Toei Animation
Goku, the legendary hero of the Dragon Ball franchise, returns to the streets of Manhattan for another Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade appearance. Dragon Ball, a Japanese anime series that first aired in the U.S. over 25 years ago, focuses on Goku, a Saiyan warrior who is peaceful, good-natured, loving and honest — many adjectives that describe the celebration of Thanksgiving!
Balloon Dimensions: 70 feet long, 36 feet wide, 56 feet tall
Fun Fact: The balloon depicts Goku in his Super Saiyan Blue form, as seen in the hit movie, Dragon Ball Super: Broly.

Grogu
Funko and Lucasfilm
The fan-favorite Funko Pop!-styled Grogu balloon commemorates the beloved Star Wars series The Mandalorian bringing adorableness back to our galaxy! This larger-than-life “precious cargo” is inspired by the Funko Pop! collectible.
Balloon Dimensions: 29 feet long, 37 feet wide, 41 feet tall
Fun Fact: Grogu’s 37-foot ear span is longer than a telephone pole is tall!

Paw Patrol
Nickelodeon
Hailing all the way from Adventure Bay, Paw Patrol’s Chase takes to the sky this Thanksgiving. This fearless rescue pup from the globally beloved preschool series, PAW Patrol, is ready to come to the ruffruff-rescue and show the citizens of New York that “no job is too big, no pup is too small.”
Balloon Dimensions: 60 feet long, 36 feet wide, 43 feet tall
Fun Fact: Chase’s hat could cover an actual police squad car and his paws are larger than two full-grown Great Dane dogs.

Pillsbury Doughboy
Pillsbury
Inspiring Thanksgiving bakers across the U.S., the classic Pillsbury Doughboy (full name: Poppin’ Fresh) takes flight down the Parade route to celebrate with millions of Americans as they enjoy both his cheerful giggle & home-baked holiday treats and sides.
Balloon Dimensions: 54 feet long, 34 feet wide, 46 feet tall
Fun Fact: It would take more than four million Pillsbury Crescent Rolls to create a “dough-sized” version of the balloon.

Pikachu and Eevee
The Pokémon Company International
Returning in their Poké Ball-inspired sleigh are Pikachu & Eevee, bringing smiles to everyone’s faces for the 22nd consecutive appearance of Pokémon in the Parade. An adventure is always better with friends and these two popular Pokémon are all smiles as they adorably sled down the route & into the holiday season.
Balloon Dimensions: 48 feet long, 23 feet wide, 34 feet tall
Fun Fact: Each blade on the sleigh is about the same length as a semi-trailer truck!

Red Tital from Ryan’s World
Sunlight Entertainment and Pocket.Watch
Swooping in to save the day this holiday season is Red Titan, the brave and kind alter-ego of Ryan from Ryan’s World. This larger-than-life, pint-sized superhero is making his third Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade appearance this year.
Balloon Dimensions: 51 feet long, 28 feet wide, 42 feet tall
Fun Fact: The Red Titan’s cape is the largest in the Parade, with over 15 gallons of red paint used!

Ronald McDonald
McDonald’s
The world’s most famous clown returns to the Big Apple with a new look. This is his fifth design since he first joined the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1987! In this version, Ronald is sharing his heart at a time when we all need some extra love & smiles as he inspires spectators to “see a smile, share a smile.”
Balloon Dimensions: 68 feet long, 31 feet wide, 40 feet tall
Fun Fact: It took 2,629 hours to complete the Ronald balloon at Macy’s Studio and over 50 gallons of paint!

The Smurfs
Nickelodeon
Dancing his way down the route again, decked out in his signature red hat and trousers, is Papa Smurf! Clutching his cane and clicking his heels to the delight of fans who are thrilled that The Smurfs series is back on screens with all-new adventures on Nickelodeon, proving once more that “you can’t keep a good Smurf down.”
Balloon Dimensions: 43 feet long, 36 feet wide, 51 feet tall
Fun Fact: There is nothing small about this version of Papa Smurf; he is taller than a four-story building!

SpongeBob Squarepants and Gary
Nickedlodeon
This optimistic sea sponge — so popular he’s mentioned on social media every four seconds — is all smiles as he returns on Thanksgiving for his 19th appearance. SpongeBob is accompanied by pet snail Gary, so get ready for some F-U-N!
Balloon Dimensions: 46 feet long, 36 feet wide, 44 feet tall
Fun Fact: This is SpongeBob’s third balloon in the Parade; he made his first appearance in 2004 and was redesigned for his second balloon in 2013. SpongeBob was also the first square balloon in the Parade!

Stuart the Minion
Illumination
New Minion Stuart from Illumination’s blockbuster comedy, Minions: The Rise of Gru, causes a little mischief as he makes his way down the Parade route for the first time. If you happen to be dressed as Stuart’s favorite food—watch out! He has a craving for bananas that even a Thanksgiving feast can’t quash.
Balloon Dimensions: 40 feet long, 28 feet wide, 37 feet tall
Fun Fact: This balloon features Minion Stuart holding an animated man in a banana suit and is the first Parade balloon to ever use details created by a 3D printer.

First LGBTQ band to march in Macy’s Parade

The Queer Big Apple Corps Marching Band will become the first queer marching band to perform live at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Novelty and heritage balloons

Balloonicles

Baby Dinos
Sinclair Oil
The three newborn Baby Dinos from HF Sinclair are anything but prehistoric! The adorable Apatosaurus trio came straight from the nest to once again join the DINO balloon in this year’s Thanksgiving celebration.
Fun Fact: Like the DINO balloon, the Baby Dino balloonicles appear in life-size form.

Go Bowling
Ready to roll a strike with Parade fans once again, the Go Bowling balloonicles are the biggest game you’ll see on Thanksgiving–literally! Did you know that bowling is one of the safest and most fun activities for families nationwide?
Fun Fact: With 16-foot-tall pins and a 12-foot diameter bowling ball, this Balloonicle is sure to score!

Striker, the US Soccer Star
Fox Sports
Striker the U.S. Soccer Star effortlessly executes an iconic bicycle kick in celebration of the FIFA World Cup that is sure to have fans cheering on the United States Men’s National Team on FOX Sports.
Balloon Dimensions: 25 feet long, 10 feet wide, 25 feet tall
Fun Fact: This scene is a completely unique addition to the Parade and is comprised of a balloonicle and a string of balloons to showcase the iconic bicycle kick.

Heritage balloons

Dolly
Universal Orlando Resort
Dolly’s Hot Air Balloon is one of four balloons in the Christmas unit of the Holiday Parade. The balloon depicts the namesake character riding beneath a hot air balloon on a swing.
Fun Fact: The hot-air balloon itself is based on the design of a traditional Chinese lantern.

Smokey Bear
USDA Forest Service
Smokey Bear returns Thanksgiving morning to celebrate another year as the star of the longest-running public service advertising campaign in American history, & his message is extremely important since nationally nearly 9 out of 10 wildfires are started by humans.
Balloon Dimensions: 16 feet long, 25 feet wide, 51 feet tall
Fun Fact: Smokey Bear made his Parade debut as a giant character balloon in 1966.

Tiptoe

Photo by Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Macy’s Inc.

The star of Macy’s holiday campaign, Tiptoe, is making her second Parade appearance as a balloon puppet this Thanksgiving. With the help of puppeteers, her head bobs & legs move as this courageous reindeer prances through the streets of New York City encouraging spectators to believe in themselves.
Fun Fact: In 2021, this larger-than-life version of Tiptoe was the first balloon puppet to march down the route.

Toni, the Bandleader Bear
Showing everyone how to march to their own beat this Thanksgiving is Toni, Macy’s very own bandleader bear. This beary big balloon, named for pioneer Tony Sarg, was designed, built & painted entirely in-house by the incredibly talented Macy’s Studio Team.
Balloon Dimensions: 28 feet long, 24 feet wide, 39 feet tall
Fun Fact: The iconic Macy’s star appears a few times on this balloon. Toni’s eye has the top leg of the star hidden in its diamond shape.

Macy’s Parade facts

Years of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade: 96 (established in 1924)
The parade was canceled in 1942, 1943 and 1944 due to World War II
More than 50 million viewers across broadcast and streaming, making the Macy’s Parade one of the nation’s most viewed televised events annually
NBC has been the official national broadcast partner for 70 years (since 1952)
NBC “Today” show anchors as hosts of the parade: Savannah Guthrie (11 years), Hoda Kotb (5 years), [Al Roker is listed but NBC’s Dylan Dryer said on air she will be filling in for Al; he served for 27 consecutive years]

Information provided in news releases from Macy’s.