In the US, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade marches on despite wind gusts

As Macy’s held its 99th Thanksgiving Day Parade, marching bands, large balloons, and a holiday sleigh made their way through the canyons of Manhattan’s high rises.

Despite the threat of strong winds, the parade continued in the United States on Thursday.

The National Weather Service had warned of potential gusts of up to 35 miles per hour, or 56 kilometers per hour, in preparation for the annual tradition.

According to parade regulations, sustained winds of 37 km/h (23 mph) and powerful gusts of wind tipped the scales at 55 km/h (34 mph) and could have prevented the event from being grounded.

Following the 1997 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, when a balloon representing the children’s book The Cat in the Hat was struck by ferocious weather, those precautions were taken.

The streetlight went out, striking the parade-going crowd below. A 34-year-old woman was hit in the head and remained in a coma for almost a month.

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has only been canceled three times between 1942 and 1944 in an effort to conserve resources during World War II as of 2025. The weather has never prevented cancellation.

34 giant, helium-filled balloons are included in this year’s edition, along with Pac-Man, the character from Super Mario Bros. from the video game, and the Disney character Buzz Lightyear.

As the parade’s 28 floats sailed down the street, Cynthia Erivo, the star of the Wicked film series, and K-Pop Demon Hunters singers made appearances.

3.5 million people reportedly line the streets each year to watch the parade, and more than 50 million people watch the broadcast of the event.

Along Central Park West and 6th Avenue, the parade winds its way across downtown New York, ending in front of Macy’s flagship store, for four kilometers (2, 5 miles).