Thanksgiving parade kicks off in NYC amid tight security
- by Virginia Carter
- in World Media
- — Nov 25, 2016
Giant balloons took to sky over midtown Manhattan on Thursday for the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, with spectators lining up along the parade route and a heavy police presence keeping a watchful eye.
Sixteen character balloons, 27 novelty/ornament balloons, 26 floats, 1,100 cheerleaders and dancers, more than 1,000 clowns and 16 marching bands and performance groups made their way down the 2.5-mile parade route.
The parade ended at around noon with Santa ushering in the new holiday season at Macy's flagship store on 34th Street.
For the viewers at home, Macy's has partnered with NBCUniversal and Verizon to provide a 360 degree view of the whole parade from various angles that will make the parade a more lively experience for the audience at home. "It's surreal, it's a little terrifying and a lot of fun".
Revelers cheered and yelled, "Thank you!" to officers along the parade route, giving special attention to the New York Police Department marching band.
The Charlie Brown balloon is one of three new giant character inflatables in this year's parade, and joins returning favorites including Thomas the Tank Engine, Hello Kitty and SpongeBob SquarePants. Charlie Brown represented the Peanuts gang from up above as a balloon. FILE- In this November 8, 2016 file photo, Trump Tower, the primary residence of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, is blocked off by police and sanitation trucks in NY.
More than 80 sanitation trucks filled with sand were placed at intersections and other places as barriers against any kind of attack.
Today, AP employs the latest technology to collect and distribute content - we have daily uploads covering the latest and breaking news in the world of politics, sport and entertainment. The NYPD said the sanitation trucks, which they have used before, would play a bigger role at this year's parade in the wake of the cargo truck attack in Nice, France, that killed more than 80 people.
