NEW YORK—Airy snowflakes fluttered from the sky, as a four-story-building high Papa Smurf made his way down Sixth Avenue. The crowd, about 2 and a half million strong, was both cold and on fire.
Every few minutes, high-pitched shouts pierced the frozen air, as children recognized a TV character or a celebrity riding a parade float or being impersonated by a giant balloon. Clowns were giving out high-fives to children and throwing glitter to the crowds. Moms were squeezing heating packs.
That’s the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade—with a lineup of 16 giant balloons (six of them new this year), 25 floats, and over 80 groups, crews, and celebrities. But make no mistake, the audience is just as important as the show they watch.
“It’s the highlight of my year,” said Macy’s employee Fran Nesturrick, 46, from Long Island. The thunderous cheers of the crowd created an “exciting, chill moment” for her. “Especially when you hear Santa coming, you hear the roar of the crowd all the way down the street,” she said, referring to a parade float carrying the jolly bearded man.
Nesturrick’s daughter Sophie, 8, rode the Gibson Guitar float together with her cousin Brigid Mahoney, 8. “It was fun to be on TV,” Sophie said.
