5 New floats to look for at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

It’s must-see TV on Turkey Day, and we’ve got a sneak peek at the five brand-new floats that will appear in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.

t

t Before it’s turkey-and-stuffing time, we love tuning in to Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. It’s the 87th year they’ve done the annual extravaganza, and this year’s parade promises to be extra sweet, thanks to a new float from Lindt chocolate. The Swiss chocolatier’s float, which the Goo Goo Dolls will perform on, is just one of the new additions to the famous parade this year. We got to see the float unveiled before the big day at Macy’s Parade headquarters in New Jersey.

t Every year, five new floats are added to the parade, in addition to classic floats and favorite balloons like Spider-man and Hello Kitty. The other four new ones to look for this year include a Cirque du Soleil float featuring aerial performers and acrobats, a SeaWorld float with Shamu, a Despicable Me 2 float and one from Royal Caribbean cruise line on which Kristen Chenoweth will sing.

t

t The Lindt float will debut this year and will march again in the 2014 and 2015 parades. Since all of the massive floats are made in New Jersey, they have to be disassembled into pieces no bigger than 12.5 feet tall and 8 feet wide so they can fit through the Lincoln Tunnel to Manhattan. Once there, they are reassembled before making their way down the parade route.

t As for those giant balloons? They’re transported to New York City empty. Then they come to life at 3:00 p.m. the day before the parade, when they start getting filled with helium. If you’re in NYC, you can watch them get inflated near the American Museum of Natural History. The parade begins by Central Park and concludes at Macy’s Herald Square store.

t Other performers at the Macy’s parade this year include Jimmy Fallon and the Roots, Kellie Pickler, Ariana Grande, Austin Mahone and many more. Carrie Underwood will also make a special appearance.

t Grab the family and tune in for all the festive fun before your Thanksgiving feast. Television coverage on Thanksgiving morning begins at 9/8c on NBC, and you can join the conversation on social media by using the hashtag #MacysParade.

tTry some of these fun activities to keep your kids tuned into the parade while you’re prepping your Thanksgiving feast.