Fri, November 25, 2011
NEW YORK, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- The 85th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade rocked New York City on Thursday, drawing more than 3 million spectators cheering along the streets.
Millions of revelers filled the streets of Manhattan to witness the inaugural appearances of giant balloons including Paul Frank's Julius and Burton's B.Boy among old favorites such as Kermit the Frog, Snoopy and Spider-Man.
"This is my second time here. I arrived here around 7 a.m. this morning and I took my boys here because it's a tradition for us. They love the Thanksgiving and they love the parade. They love the balloons," local resident Frank Defiore said.
In all, the parade featured more than 40 balloon creations, 27 floats, 800 clowns and 1,600 cheerleaders. Macy's predicted 3.5 million people could crowd the parade route, while an additional 50 million watched from home.
The parade began at 9 a.m. from 77th Street and moved south on Central Park West to Seventh Avenue, before heading to Sixth Avenue and ending at Macy's Herald Square.
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade began in 1924 and ran annually except two years during World War II when it was canceled.
