NEW YORK (AP) — Beloved characters like Snoopy and SpongeBob SquarePants soared by means of the skies above New York City Thursday whereas bands marched alongside the streets beneath because the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade ushered within the vacation season.

The parade began on Manhattan’s Upper West Side making its method alongside Central Park in entrance of massive crowds and a nationwide tv viewers earlier than ending in entrance of Macy’s flagship retailer on thirty fourth Street.

Among the large names performing is Cher, who simply launched her first Christmas album. The Oscar-, Emmy- and Grammy Award-winner has a main spot — performing simply earlier than the arrival of Santa Claus, which marks the tip of the parade.

Other celebrities and musical teams participating embody Jon Batiste, Bell Biv DeVoe, Brandy, Jessie James Decker, Pentatonix and Miss America 2023 Grace Stanke. The parade additionally consists of performances from the casts of some Broadway exhibits.

New balloons debuting this yr embody Leo the lizard, a personality from a Netflix movie, who's greater than 40 toes (12.5 meters) tall, in addition to ones which were there earlier than — like SpongeBob, coming in at 44 toes (13.4 meters).

Some characters, like Snoopy, have been within the parade for a few years, however this yr’s balloon is a brand new Beagle Scout Snoopy model — celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of his first look within the Peanuts comics.

The parade isn’t nearly what’s happening within the skies, although. At avenue stage, the procession consists of greater than two dozen floats, interspersed with marching bands from across the nation and plenty of clown crews among the many 8,000 individuals taking part, organizers mentioned.

Thousands lined the streets in coats on a sunny morning. Children have been on the shoulders of their dad and mom, shouting as Snoopy and SpongeBob and Leo the Lizard glided by.

Terri Brown, her husband and their kids, ages 3, 5 and eight, have been groggy after the 30-mile (50-kilometer) drive from Westfield, New Jersey. But their faces lit up because the parade began.

“I’ve always wanted to bring them here since I used to come as a kid,” Brown mentioned. “I’m happy it’s good weather.”

Ross Greenstein drove 10 hours from Michigan to catch the parade along with his daughter, who's finding out legislation in New York, in addition to his spouse and two different kids. Before Thursday, he had solely seen the parade on TV.

“I grew up every Thanksgiving, waking up and jumping on the couch and watching the parade,” Greenstein mentioned. “We came to see the parade for the first time in my life and it feels very surreal.”

This is the 97th time the parade has been held since 1924.

The broadcast is hosted by Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker from “Today” and airs on NBC.

President Biden and his spouse Jill known as NBC through the parade. The president informed Al Roker that folks ought to take a second to be grateful to dwell in a rustic with a lot.

“We’re the greatest nation in the world. We should focus on that. We should focus on dealing with our problems and stop the rancor,” Biden mentioned.

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