Shrek, Super Mario among new Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons
Four new character balloons debuted at Macy’s Balloonfest ahead of the annual Thanksgiving Parade.
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will soon take over Manhattan and television sets across the country for its 99th year, kicking off the holiday season.
With a viewership of around 31.3 million people across digital platforms in 2024, according to NBC, the parade is one of the most-watched events annually. This year, the lineup will include 32 balloons (plus 3 balloonicles), 27 floats, 33 clown groups, 11 marching bands and 26 performances from music’s biggest stars.
Macy’s organizers keep the nearly century-old tradition fresh by adding new features each parade, usually based on recent pop culture moments and fan-favorite properties. Seven new floats, including a Labubu-themed one, will make their debut in 2025, along with five new balloon characters.
Check out this sneak peek of what’s new this year.
Labubu float
No one can escape the pop culture craze that is Labubus, a point proven by the anticipated premiere of a shiny new Labubu-theme float at this year’s parade.
The float isn’t actually called “the Labubu float.” Rather, it’s the Friends-giving in POPCITY by Pop Mart float, referencing the makers of Labubus.
Other Pop Mart characters, including Skullpanda, Peach, Riot, Dimoo, Molly, Duckoo and Mokoko will appear on the float, as well. Preview images show the characters perched atop a city skyline, festively wrapped up in Christmas bows.
In addition to witnessing “Friends-giving in POP CITY” in real time, fans of the brand will also have the chance to visit a special holiday pop-up located directly across the famed Macy’s at 1 Penn Plaza in New York City’s Herald Square through the rest of the month.
Upside Down Invasion: Stranger Things by Netflix float
Upside Down Invasion, a new float to celebrate the fifth and final season of Netflix’s hit “Stranger Things,” will also make an appearance this year, featuring a scene of the Hawkins National Laboratory from the show.
“This is such a cool departure from saying, ‘Hey, 3D print me something from a film.’ What we’re doing here is creating a world. This is fully experiential,” Brendan Kennedy, director of creative production at Macy’s studio, told Variety. “There’s a containment device meant to contain an eight and a half foot tall Demogorgon puppet.”
The first 8 episodes of the new season of “Stranger Things” will debut the day before Thanksgiving on Nov. 26.
LEGO’s Brick-tastic Winter Mountain
While LEGO has consistently appeared in the parade, it is officially retiring its existing float, The Brick-Changer, which debuted in 2019.
In 2025, LEGO fans will instead see a “Brick-tastic Winter Mountain” scene, a large-scale replica of its Yetty Mountain set. A tall mountain peak perfect for winter sports hosts a Lego person skiing, accompanied by Arctic seals and penguins.
“Ski down the slopes alongside playful Arctic seals, join a fun hockey tournament with penguins or practice ice fishing with the Yetis,” says the float’s description on the Macy’s website. “Every element on Yeti Mountain corresponds to an existing LEGO brick, piece, and character.”
The Land of Glaciers, Wildlife & Wonder
A wintery scene of wonder will grace Manhattan’s streets courtesy of cruise line Holland America Line this year. Featuring scenes capturing “the grandeur of Alaska,” the float includes representations of glaciers, wildlife and the Denali National Park, according to the company.
The Land of Glaciers, Wildlife & Wonder float, which is adorned with figures of a moose, grizzly bear and gray wolf nestled amid icy waters, celebrates the cruise line’s 80th anniversary of “exploring” the state.
Master Chocolatier Ballroom by Lindt
Chocolate company Lindt built a treat-inspired spectacle this year – a full red and gold ballroom complete with all the trimmings.
“As you’re whisked away to the dancefloor, notice the golden lace ironwork that mimics the wrapper of a LINDOR Truffle and the grand spiral staircase topped with an enchanted centerpiece—an ode to LINDOR’s ball-shaped origins as a holiday ornament,” says the float’s description on the Macy’s website.
The Littlest Float from Goldfish
The tiniest and possibly cutest float of the whole shabang, The Littlest Float by snack company Goldfish stands just under 8 inches tall and is adorned with to-scale Goldfish crackers.
With a simple design of little fish enjoying a snowy scene beside a sizeable fishy snowman, the tiny float will be pulled along by an equally small Goldish-theme RC truck.
The Counting Sheep’s Dream Generator by Serta
If there’s one thing mattress company Serta is recognized for, it’s the sheep characters that have starred in its commercials for many years. The Counting Sheep’s Dream Generator float features a handful of those sheep, numbered to allow for proper counting while drifting off to sleep.
The dreamy float is decorated with stars, moons and cloud fluff and even includes an appearance from Sheep No. 1, the grumpy leader of the flock put out of work by Serta’s mattresses.
Five new balloons to appear in Macy’s parade
Floats aren’t the only fresh additions to the parade this year; five new balloons will fly above the streets of New York, as well.
New balloons include:
- “Buzz Lightyear” by Pixar Animation Studios
- “PAC-MAN” by Bandai Namco Entertainment America, Inc.
- “Shrek’s Onion Carriage” from Universal Pictures’ DreamWorks Animation
- “Mario” by Nintendo
- “Derpy Tiger” from Netflix’s movie “K-Pop Demon Hunters”
- Bonus: Sussie from “K-Pop Demon Hunters” will also appear as a balloonicle, or a balloon mounted on a vehicle and driven through the parade, as opposed to flying high on strings like larger counterparts.
See sneak peek images of the new balloon designs in the gallery below:
When is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade?
The 2025 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. ET on Thursday, Nov. 27. It will be telecast on NBC starting at 8:30 a.m. in all time zones on Thursday, Nov. 27. The event will also simulstream on Peacock, and Fubo subscribers will also be able to watch it. An encore on NBC will follow at 2 p.m. ET/PT.
Contributing: Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY
