Come Thanksgiving morning—in 2022, that's November 24—the kitchen windows steam up, the aroma of roasting turkey wafts through the house, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is on TV. It will be broadcast from 9 a.m. to noon (live on the East Coast, tape-delayed elsewhere)—and on NBC's Peacock streaming service. Now in its 96th running, the parade is annually viewed in person by some 3.5 million spectators and televised to an estimated 50 million. In 2022 there are 28 floats, plus 16 giant balloon characters, traveling a 2.5-mile-long route in Manhattan that ends, naturally, at Macy's in Herald Square.
Between the balloon handlers, clowns, cheerleaders, dancers, marching bands, and celebrity performers, about 6500 people will take part in the 2022 parade. Unsurprisingly, we were most interested in the drivers, who tow the floats. We visited Macy’s Parade Studio, the parade headquarters, and found out some things you may not have known about the spectacle.
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