The iconic balloons for the 2025 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade are coming to life in New York City.
The annual balloon inflation celebration is being held Wednesday on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, ahead of the parade on Thursday.
This year will be the 99th annual marching of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and will feature a new KPop Demon Hunters balloon and LABUBU float, among others.
“Every single balloon that you will see in tomorrow’s parade is being prepped right now. We are getting all the nets down, all the tenting. We are going to inflate the balloons with helium,” Macy’s spokesperson Orlando Veras said.
Officials say it takes about 90 minutes to inflate each balloon and when completed some could be as tall as five stories.
“It’s just a special tradition. We feel so thankful to be New Yorkers and be part of this parade,” mother Allison Rothbart said.
Where to watch the 2025 Macy’s Thanksgiving balloon inflation
Roy Rochlin / Getty Images
The celebration is free and open to spectators, and organizers say the loop takes about 45 minutes to complete.
The inflation zone is located outside the American Museum of Natural History, between West 77th and 81st streets along Central Park West.
The line opens at 12 p.m., and the viewing will be held from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Visitors will enter through a security checkpoint at West 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue, then exit between West 82nd and 86th streets.
CLICK HERE for the full inflation zone map.
Macy’s Thanksgiving balloon inflation road closures
Drivers should prepare for extensive road closures around Thursday’s parade, but some take effect even earlier for the inflation.
Organizers say 81st Street and 77th Street from Central Park West to Columbus Avenue will be closed to vehicles starting at 7 a.m. Wednesday.
Spectators are encouraged to take mass transit. The closest subway station is located on the B and C lines at 72nd Street and Central Park West.
New balloons joining the 2025 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Eugene Gologursky
Thursday’s parade will feature 34 larger-than-life balloons, including five new characters in this year’s lineup:
- Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story
- Derpy Tiger from KPop Demon Hunters
- Mario from Nintendo
- PAC-MAN from Bandai Namco
- Shrek’s Onion Carriage
They will join longtime favorites, like Spider-Man and Beagle Scout Snoopy, as the parade marches from Central Park to Macy’s flagship store at Herald Square.
Also debuting this year, the parade has seven new floats, including “The Littlest Float” by Goldfish, which will drive the route in turn with existing float favorites.
The parade will also feature 28 performers, including “Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo, as well as 11 marching bands, four “balloonicles,” 33 clown crews, nine performance groups and 14 specialty units.
It takes months, even years, to prepare the balloons and floats at Macy’s Parade Studio in Moonachie, New Jersey before they are folded up to travel through the Lincoln Tunnel into Manhattan.
Weather forecast for the inflation and parade
Wednesday will bring a mixed bag of weather, with the chance of spot showers throughout the morning and afternoon. It’ll be mild all day until the evening, when the wind will kick in, bringing with it a sharp drop in temperatures and blustery conditions.
Thursday looks even colder for the parade, and we’ll have to watch the winds to make sure the balloons can fly. Right now, it seems likely they will, even if they’re held lower to the ground.
In 1971, strong winds grounded all of the balloons for the only time in the parade’s history.
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