Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 2022 parade route and balloon info
Geoffrey's Dazzling Dance Party by Toys"R"Us float and Pinfong Baby Shark float are on display at the studio before the Macy's Parade in New York City. (Photo by Liao Pan/China News Service via Getty Images)
NEW YORK - The annual Macy's Thanksgiving Parade takes place from 9 a.m. to noon on Thursday.
The parade kicks off at W. 77th St. and Central Park West. The parade will held down to Columbus Circle and then turn left onto Central Park South. It will then travel to 6th Ave. and turn right all the way to Herald Square in front of the Macy's flagship store.
The parade route is about 2.5 miles long.
Where are the best places to view the Macy's parade?
If you are an early riser you can get great views along Central Park West from W. 75th to W. 61st Streets.
There are great views along 6th Ave. from W. 59th to W. 38th Streets.
There are limited or no public viewing areas at the start of the parade. There is no public viewing area on Central Park West between W. 59th St. and West 60th St.
Also, avoid trying to watch on 6th Ave. between W. 34th and W. 38th Streets and on W. 34th St. between 6th and 7th Avenues.
Macy's does not have grandstand tickets available to the general public.
Macy's Thanksgiving Parade Route
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade floats
Among the new balloons is Bluey, from the global hit children's series, Greg Heffley from the best-selling book series Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Sinclair Oil's ann-new Baby DINO, and Stuart the Minion from the popular movie franchise.
There are several new floats for 2022. One features Toys 'R' Us, another is Pinkfong Baby Shark, and Wonder Bread's Wondership.
The history of the Mac's Thanksgiving Parade dates back to 1924. The first parade marched from 145th St. to Macy's at 34th St. and included elephants, camels, and donkeys. Balloons being part of the parade also started in the 1920s.
Macy's parade performers
Among the performers at the 96th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade are Betty Who, Big Time Rush, Blanco Brown, Cam, Dionne Warwick, Fitz and the Tantrums, Gloria Estefan, Jordin Sparks, Joss Stone, Kirk Franklin, Paula Abdul, Sean Paul, and Ziggy Marley.