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Maps: How To See Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade And Balloon Inflation
By
Jen Chung
Published Nov 24, 2021
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EUGENE GOLOGURSKY/GETTY IMAGES FOR MACY'S, INC.
By
Jen Chung
Published Nov 24, 2021
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The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is back to full-strength, with dozens of floats, performers and marching bands, and those big character balloons. For those of you braving Wednesday's chilly weather to see balloons inflated on the Upper West Side or joining the parade spectators on Thursday, here are some tips.
If you're planning to check out the balloon inflation on Wednesday, you must be vaccinated (children under 12 must be accompanied by a vaccinated adult). The inflation is open to the public between 12 p.m. and 6 p.m., and visitors will enter at West 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue, walking east along 72nd Street before heading north on Central Park West until they hit 77th Street, where the balloons are.
Macy's
This also means streets are closed for drivers.
On Thursday, the parade starts at 9 a.m., right by the American Museum of Natural History—which means spectators start heading there up to three hours beforehand to snag a good spot along the parade route.
The parade starts at Central Park West at 77th Street, making its way south down CPW to Columbus Circle, and then turns left onto Central Park South. Balloons (each of which has dozens of handlers), floats, and performers walk along Central Park South until 6th Avenue, where the parade turns again to head south on 6th until 34th Street. At 34th Street, the parade heads "home" to the Macy's flagship store at 34th Street and Broadway.
The weather is looking like it will be clear!
Here's are all the parade street closure details from the NYC Department of Transportation:
Formation:
- Columbus Avenue between 72nd Street and 83rd Street
- Central Park West between 81st Street and 86th Street
- 81st Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue
- 77th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue
- 76th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue
- 75th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue
- 74th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue
- 72nd Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue
- 71st Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue
- 68th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue
- 62nd Street between Central Park West and Broadway
- 61st Street between Central Park West and Broadway
Route:
- Central Park West between 81st Street and East Side of Columbus Circle/59th Street
- Columbus Circle between 59th Street and Broadway
- 59th Street between Columbus Circle and 6th Avenue
- 6th Avenue between 59th Street and 34th Street
- 34th Street between 6th Avenue and 7th Avenue
Dispersal:
- 33rd Street between 6th Avenue and 10th Avenue
- 34th Street between 7th Avenue and 8th Avenue
- 34th Street between 6th Avenue and 5th Avenue
- 35th Street between 5th Avenue and 8th Avenue
- 36th Street between Broadway and 8th Avenue
- 37th Street between Broadway and 8th Avenue
- 38th Street between Broadway and 8th Avenue
- 39th Street between Broadway and 8th Avenue
- 40th Street between Broadway and 8th Avenue
- 7th Avenue between 33rd Street and 41st Street
- Broadway between 45th Street and 34th Street
- 40th Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue
- 39th Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue
- 38th Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue
- 37th Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue
- 36th Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue
- 6th Avenue between 34th Street and 33rd Street
- 8th Avenue between 40th Street and 33rd Street
Tagged
macy's thanksgiving day parade
macy's thanksgiving day parade balloon inflation
thanksgiving
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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