A welcome form of inflation: Balloons take shape for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

NEW YORK (AP) – Giant balloons got into shape Wednesday for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as crews inflated the giant characters on the streets of New York City.

The parade kicks off Thursday morning, with dozens of huge balloons set to take to the skies. Floats, entertainers, marching bands and more will grace the streets.

About 100 balloon technicians and volunteers worked Wednesday to puff up dozens of characters. It takes about eight hours to ready them all, said Kathleen Wright, who oversees production operations for Macy’s Studios.

The process might be gradual, but Ethan Otieno was excited to see it.

“I think it’s very cool to watch them be inflated and try to guess the characters,” the tourist from Texas said while watching with relatives.

Otieno’s favorite balloon? Smokey Bear.

The parade is scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. EST, rain or shine. It runs from Manhattan’s Upper West Side to Macy’s Herald Square flagship store on 34th Street.

Officials are watching the weather, since the forecast as of Wednesday evening calls for a somewhat gusty day. For safety reasons, New York City law prohibits Macy’s from flying the full-size balloons if sustained winds exceed 23 mph (37 kph) or wind gusts are over 35 mph (56 kph). Weather has grounded the balloons only once, in 1971, but they also sometimes have soared lower than usual because of wind.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference that authorities would decide Thursday morning whether any balloon adjustments are needed.

New balloons in this year’s lineup include Buzz Lightyear, Pac-Man, Mario from Super Mario Brothers and a 32-foot-tall (9.8-meter) balloon onion carriage featuring eight characters from the world of “Shrek.”

“It’s a lot of those really nostalgic and familiar characters, everybody’s favorites,” Wright said. There are also new balloons derived from characters in this year’s Netflix hit “KPop Demon Hunters.”

New floats this year include a Pop Mart entry, with the ubiquitous figure Labubu, as well as Skullpanda, Peach Riot, Dimoo, Molly, Duckoo and Mokoko.

A star-studded lineup of performers – including Cynthia Erivo, Conan Gray, Lainey Wilson and Audrey Nuna, EJAE and Rei Ami of HUNTR/X, the fictional girl group at the heart of “KPop Demon Hunters” – will be sprinkled throughout the show, along with a slew of marching bands, Broadway cast members and others. As is traditional, the Radio City Rockettes are expected.

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Associated Press writer Jennifer Peltz contributed.