Skip to Principal Content material
New York Metropolis
New York Metropolis police mentioned they arrested 21 individuals after protesters jumped barricades and sat down on the parade route with Palestinian flags and a “Do not Rejoice Genocide” banner.
By Related Press
NEW YORK (AP) — The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade marched, soared and roared into its second century on Thursday regardless of a drenching rain and a quick disruption from pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
New York Metropolis police mentioned they arrested 21 individuals after protesters jumped barricades and sat down on the parade route with Palestinian flags and a “Don’t Rejoice Genocide” banner. They chanted “Free, free Palestine!” as a large Ronald McDonald balloon bore down on them on Manhattan’s Sixth Avenue.
Individuals protesting Israel’s battle in Gaza additionally interrupted final 12 months’s parade.
Because of the moist climate, ponchos and umbrellas had been a part of the festivities, together with the same old big balloons, floats and star-studded performances.
The most recent version of the annual vacation custom featured new Spider-Man and Minnie Mouse balloons, zoo and pasta-themed floats, an ode to Large Apple espresso and bagels, performances from Jennifer Hudson, Idina Menzel and Kylie Minogue, and extra.
The lineup was a far cry from the parade’s preliminary incarnation 100 years in the past, which featured floats exhibiting scenes from Mom Goose, Pink Driving Hood and the Wolf, Miss Muffet and the Spider, and different fairy tales.
Some issues remained the identical, although. As in 1924, there have been loads of marching bands and plenty of clowns, adopted by the grand finale of Santa Claus ushering within the vacation season.
This 12 months’s parade featured 17 big, helium-filled character balloons, 22 floats, 15 novelty and heritage inflatables, 11 marching bands from as far-off as Texas and South Dakota, 700 clowns, 10 efficiency teams, award-winning singers and actors, and the WNBA champion New York Liberty.
Different highlights included actuality TV star Ariana Madix, hip-hop’s T-Ache, nation duo Dan + Shay, The Battle and Treaty, The Temptations, Jimmy Fallon & The Roots, Broadway veteran Lea Salonga, and “Glow” actor and Macy’s spokesperson Alison Brie.
One new float spotlighted the Rao’s meals model, that includes a knight and a dragon in battle made with precise pasta parts. One other celebrated the Bronx Zoo’s a hundred and twenty fifth anniversary with representations of a tiger, a giraffe, a zebra and a gorilla.
“The work that we do, the chance to influence hundreds of thousands of individuals and convey a little bit of pleasure for a few hours on Thanksgiving morning, is what motivates us each day,” mentioned Will Coss, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade govt producer.
The parade route stretched 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) from Manhattan’s Higher West Aspect to Macy’s Herald Sq. flagship retailer on thirty fourth Road, which served as a efficiency backdrop.
NBC’s Al Roker walked a part of the route earlier than becoming a member of co-hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb outdoors the shop for the rest of the dwell TV protection. “Depraved” movie star Cynthia Erivo introduced the retiring Kotb with flowers to commemorate what might be her final parade broadcast.
The rain didn’t cease something — the parade has solely been canceled 3 times, from 1942 to 1944 throughout World Battle II — however organizers monitored wind speeds to verify the massive balloons had been secure to fly.
Temperatures hovered close to 50 levels F (10 levels C), with rain all through the morning and winds round 10 mph (16 kph), properly throughout the acceptable vary for letting Snoopy, Bluey and their pals soar. Metropolis regulation prohibits Macy’s from flying full-size balloons if sustained winds exceed 23 mph (37 kph) or wind gusts are over 35 mph (56 kph).
Additional Information Alerts
Get breaking updates as they occur.
