In November 2018, Prof. Brian Hickey wrote a blog on Pace University’s website on How to Celebrate Thanksgiving in New York. Below is an excerpt from Mr. Hickey’s post:
Before Americans sit down for their Thanksgiving meal, they attend or watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 2018. The annual pageant of giant balloons, floats, cheerleaders, clowns, marching bands, and theater and Broadway in New Yorkperformances is amazing to see. It’s fun to watch the parade on TV, but there’s nothing like watching the parade in person.
This year the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is on Thursday, November 22. The parade begins at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 12:00 noon. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade starts at 77th St and Central Park West and heads down to 34th Street to Macy’s Herald Square. Check out the Parade Route here: Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade
Some of the best things to see during the parade are the giant Macy’s Parade balloons. You can watch the Macy’s Parade balloons come to life. The inflation of the balloons takes place on Thanksgiving eve, the day before Thanksgiving. The balloons are inflated around the American Museum of Natural History (Central Park West at 79th St) on Wednesday, November 21 from 3:00 to 10:00 p.m. The best place to watch this is at 77th Street and Columbus Avenue on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.