2021 marked the 95th year of the annual Thanksgiving Macy's Day Parade. Last year the parade was hindered by Covid regulations, but this year it was back and better than ever!
Nine performances, ten bands, a LOT of clowns, 15 balloons, 28 floats, 36 novelty and heritage inflatables, and Santa comprised this year's parade. The first mention of the character Santa Claus was recorded in America in 1773, and Santa's first appearance in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was in the year 1924. During World War II, the parade was canceled for three years in a row, but has occurred every year since, even in 2020 when America was still battling strict(er) Covid-19 regulations. The famous Thanksgiving turkey, of course, made an appearance. Unfortunately, CBS did not televise the renowned Rockettes but, instead, aired multiple commercials for "Black Friday."
A few celebrities made appearances in the parade floats on Thanksgiving Day. Nelly and Jon Batiste both were a part of the Macy's extravaganza. Jon Batiste rode along on a float called the “Celebration Gator,” depicting the Louisiana Bayou sitting on top of a giant alligator. The Celebration Gator added extra fun and culture to the parade.
The Broadway shows, Chicago and Waitress, participated in the extravaganza, but you would only have seen them if you watched from home. Lady Gaga and Tony Bennet performed “Luck be a Lady,” among other songs during the event.
Baby Yoda, also known as Gorgu, was quite a hit, but sadly the Mandalorian was not there to accompany the Star Wars hit. Spongebob, not quite the size of a sponge at 62 ft. tall, returned this year, along with Ryan, the child hit YouTube star.
Two other balloons, the Pillsbury doughboy and Papa Smurf were in the parade. Papa Smurf made his 40th appearance in the Macy's event. For his two-mile long dog walk, Snoopy required 40 dog-walkers. And on its first-ever Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Disney 'wish' cruise float rode on wheels, instead of water. To mark Blue's Clues 25th anniversary, multiple hosts from different generations participated in the parade while riding in the Blues Clues float.
The longest balloon was the Diary of a Wimpy kid balloon, at 60 feet long. You would think with 90 handlers, for a balloon that big, it wouldn't encounter no snage because of so many 'hands' helping out, but, at the start of the parade route, the balloon got tangled in some tree branches. A 'Fla-lloon-icle', The Heinz gravy pirate boat, also appeared this year; a float-balloon-vehicle, all combined in one.
Of course, the Parade ended with the famous Santa Claus, because, even though it's Thanksgiving, all many can think about come November first is the chubby man with rosy cheeks that brings all the 'good' children presents on Christmas Eve. Needless to say, the parade wouldn't be the parade without the Macy's Turkey float.