Snoopy, Mickey and Bluey Lead Macy's Nine New Balloons for the 100th Thanksgiving Parade

Giant New Balloons Take to the Sky in New Jersey

The newest balloons for the 100th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade took their first test flights on Saturday, November 7, at Macy's Balloonfest outside MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Crews spent the day inflating and flying the giant characters to make sure they are ready for the trip through Manhattan on Thursday, November 26. Among the balloons seen aloft were Joe Cool and Woodstock, Bluey, Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey and Buckaroo Bob the Minion.

Balloonfest is closed to the public and serves as a trial run before the new balloons make their official parade debut. It gives organizers a chance to test the balloons outdoors and lets handlers practice before the big day. Organizers say the new characters have been in production for more than 18 months, and planning for the parade itself has been underway for nearly five years.

Meet the Nine New Balloons

Macy's parade lineup lists nine new balloons for this year. Some news reports counted seven, but the lineup Macy's has published names nine.

• Billie Brightpaw is Macy's own new holiday character, a bear wearing a red hat and a matching scarf.
• Bluey, the popular children's cartoon character, returns in a new holiday design, wearing a Christmas cracker crown. At 47.2 feet tall, this balloon stands about as high as a five-story building. Bluey first appeared in the parade in 2022, flying alone or with a red Keepy Uppy balloon.
• Buckaroo Bob the Minion is a first-time balloon featuring one of Illumination's Minions.
• Earl the Squirrel is Universal Orlando's holiday character, appearing in his first Macy's balloon.
• Hello Kitty flies holding a big red apple, a nod to her first flight taking place in the Big Apple. Macy's lists her at 33.6 feet tall, about the height of a three-story building.
• Joe Cool and Woodstock shows the famous Peanuts character Snoopy as Joe Cool, in his signature sunglasses, with his friend Woodstock alongside him.
• Macy's Blueprint Stars is a new set of star balloons from Macy's.
• Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey shows Mickey Mouse in his role from the Disney film Fantasia. This is the 21st version of Mickey's balloon.
• Underdog comes back in a reimagined balloon. Underdog flew in every parade from 1965 through 1984 and has not been seen in the parade since.

Mickey has a long history with the parade. He first flew in 1934, and that original balloon was designed by Walt Disney and puppeteer Tony Sarg. It stood 40 feet high and 26 feet wide.

See the Balloons Up Close the Day Before

People who want a closer look can attend the free Macy's Balloon Inflation Celebration on Wednesday, November 25, outside the American Museum of Natural History on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Viewing is expected to run from 1 to 6 p.m., with the line opening at noon, the same hours used last year. Macy's had not yet announced this year's hours in early November, so it is wise to check before you go. No museum ticket is needed.

The way in is a security checkpoint at the corner of West 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue. From there, the viewing path loops around the museum, covering the blocks from West 77th to West 81st Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West. In 2025, people left at West 81st Street and Central Park West, and on the way out they could watch crews assembling floats a few blocks farther north, up to West 86th Street.

Each balloon starts out spread across the pavement, and filling one with helium takes about 90 minutes. All of the parade's giant balloons get their helium here, and the biggest end up about five stories tall. Plan on 45 minutes or more to walk the whole loop. The inflation has taken place on the night before Thanksgiving since 1994, and some people make a point of going every year, even if they skip the parade itself.

Tips for Visiting the Inflation Event

Everyone is screened before entering, and these items are not allowed:

• Large bags or backpacks
• Lawn chairs or any other chairs
• Large coolers and alcoholic drinks
• Umbrellas, drones, pets and weapons

With streets closed and traffic heavy, public transit is the easier way to get there. The B and C trains stop at 72nd Street and Central Park West, the station closest to the entrance. That station can get very crowded, so you may find it easier to take the 1, 2 or 3 train to Broadway and 72nd Street instead and walk a few blocks east. Strollers are permitted, though they are hard to steer through the crowd, and because the loop takes a while, eat first or bring a snack.

Longtime Favorites Return for the Big Year

Several familiar faces are coming back this year, including Buzz Lightyear, Spider-Man, Smokey Bear, the Pillsbury Doughboy and SpongeBob SquarePants. Two characters from the parade's earliest days are making a comeback as well. Felix the Cat, the first character balloon in parade history, introduced in 1927, returns, along with a Blue Hippopotamus balloon last seen after the 1931 parade. Macy's lineup also lists the return of Disney Cruise Line's Magic Meets the Seas float, with Captain Mickey, Captain Minnie and friends aboard.

To mark the 100th parade, Macy's is sending a record 100 inflatables down the route, the most in the parade's history. Seven new floats will also debut. They include Tony Sarg's Amazing Marionettes, a tribute to the puppeteer with re-created versions of his original characters and a puppet of Sarg himself, and Macy's Parade All-Stars, featuring Popeye, Olive Oyl, Swee'Pea, Bullwinkle J. Moose and Sonic the Hedgehog. The other new floats are Hogwarts Holiday, Mr. Peanut's Power Plant, Purina Dog Chow Salute to Service Dogs, Dashing All the Way by DoorDash and Road Trip to Parade by GEICO.

The 100th parade marks a century of Macy's employees, designers, builders and volunteers working together to put it on, and organizers say the milestone is a chance to celebrate the generations of families who have made the parade part of their Thanksgiving. The parade began in 1924, and the giant character balloons were first introduced in 1927.

How to Watch on Thanksgiving Morning

The 100th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade steps off at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time on Thursday, November 26, and ends at noon. It will be broadcast live on NBC and Telemundo and streamed on Peacock. As always, Santa Claus will close the parade to kick off the holiday season.

The route begins at West 77th Street and Central Park West and ends at Macy's Herald Square at West 34th Street and Seventh Avenue. Public viewing areas are along Central Park West from 61st to 75th Streets and along Sixth Avenue from 38th to 59th Streets. Guiding the huge balloons through narrow city streets is hard work, because sudden gusts of wind can come up without warning. That is why the parade relies on highly trained handlers who practice ahead of time and work together carefully to bring each balloon safely down the route.