The annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade mounted its annual trek through the heart of Manhattan on Thursday, despite record-low temperatures and winds close to the danger level for high-flying Charlie Brown and SpongeBob balloons.
Hundreds of thousands of onlookers, some arriving hours ahead of time, huddled under blankets and behind guardrails as the eye-catching floats, balloons and marchers wound their way for 46 blocks, from the west side of Central Park to Macy’s flagship store in midtown Manhattan.
The parade, which began in 1924 to promote the venerable department store, featured some 8,000 marchers, including high school bands from across the country, and two dozen floats setting the stage for the arrival of Santa Claus.
Diana Ross, John Legend, Martina McBride and the Muppets from “Sesame Street” performed, despite an extreme cold weather alert for performers and onlookers alike.
A New York City advisory urged anyone going outside to wear hats, scarves, gloves and layered clothing and to keep their fingertips, earlobes and noses covered to prevent frostbite.
The temperature dipped to 19 degrees at 11 a.m. EST, breaking the previous record low for the event of 21 degrees, marked in 1930, 1938 and 1972.
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The low temperature this morning at Central Park tied Nov. 28, 1901, and Nov 30, 1876, for the second-coldest low temp for Thanksgiving. The coldest low, 15 degrees, happened on Nov. 30, 1871, according to the National Weather Service for New York.
The critical factor for the parade, however, is not the cold but the wind. With 16 helium-filled balloons of animated characters floating at the end of long cables above the parade route, wind can quickly turn a parade into a danger zone.
In 2013, the giant "M&M's Chocolate Candies" balloon got caught on a street lamp in Times Square, knocking off part of the top. Two sisters were hit by the falling debris, with one requiring stitches.
The balloons are grounded if winds are stronger than 23 mph and wind gusts higher than 34 mph. Less than two hours before the parade, the winds were clocking 15 to 20 mph with gusts of 30 mph.
In fact, some of the balloons seemed closer to the ground than in past years, soaring only a few feet above those holding their tethers. The outstretched hand of the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” balloon appeared to hit some of his handlers on their wool cap-covered heads.
Temperatures aside, Police Commissioner James O’Neill said thousands of officers were stationed along the parade route to keep an eye out for other potential trouble spots. Counterterrorism teams with long guns were to be on hand, with plainclothes officers mixing into the crowd.
A new squad of K-9 teams that can sniff out explosives from a few hundred feet away were also on hand to survey the scene.
On the entertainment front, the parade also featured Bad Bunny, Kane Brown and Ella Mai, Pentatonix, Rita Ora, Sugarland, Anika Noni Rose, Barenaked Ladies, Leona Lewis, Fifth Harmony’s Ally Brooke, Bazzi, Ashley Tisdale and Carly Pearce.
Contributing: Associated Press
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