The iconic balloons for the 2025 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade are coming to life in New York City.
The annual balloon inflation celebration was held Wednesday on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, ahead of the parade on Thursday.
This year will be the 99th annual marching of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and will feature a new “KPop Demon Hunters” balloon and LABUBU float, among others.
“Every single balloon that you will see in tomorrow’s parade is being prepped right now. We are getting all the nets down, all the tenting. We are going to inflate the balloons with helium,” Macy’s spokesperson Orlando Veras said.
Officials say it takes about 90 minutes to inflate each balloon and when completed some could be as tall as five stories.
Workers ensured every character was secured by netting and perfectly inflated, and the NYPD was out in full force, making sure everyone was safe.
Security at the 2025 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
There will be thousands of uniformed officers along the route for the parade Thursday. In a bulletin, police said there are no specific threats to the parade.
“Before, during and after the parade there will be security measures that you will see and others … that you will not see,” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. “We’ll be actively monitoring fixed and mobile cameras along the route and in the surrounding area. Intelligence teams will also be analyzing social media for potential threats.
“There is no greater force multiplier than a responsive and an engaged public. So we ask everyone to say, stay alert,” Tisch added.
“See something. Say something. Do something,” Mayor Eric Adams said.
“There is no greater force multiplier than a responsive and an engaged public. So we ask everyone to … stay alert,” Tisch added.
Where to watch the 2025 Macy’s Thanksgiving balloon inflation
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 26: People walk near the new Buzz Lightyear balloon during Macy’s Balloon Inflation 2025 on November 26, 2025 in New York City.
Adam Gray / Getty Images
The celebration was free and open to spectators, and organizers said the loop took about 45 minutes to complete.Â
The inflation zone is located outside the American Museum of Natural History, between West 77th and 81st streets along Central Park West.
The line opened at noon, and the viewing was held until 6 p.m. Visitors entered through a security checkpoint at West 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue, then exited between West 82nd and 86th streets.Â
CLICK HERE for the full inflation zone map.
Macy’s Thanksgiving balloon inflation road closures
Drivers should prepare for extensive road closures around Thursday’s parade, but some take effect even earlier for the inflation. Â
Organizers say 81st Street and 77th Street from Central Park West to Columbus Avenue will be closed to vehicles starting at 7 a.m. Wednesday.Â
Spectators are encouraged to take mass transit. The closest subway station is located on the B and C lines at 72nd Street and Central Park West.Â
New balloons joining the 2025 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Balloons are seen being prepared during the 99th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloonfest at MetLife Stadium on November 01, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Eugene Gologursky
Thursday’s parade will feature 34 larger-than-life balloons, including five new characters in this year’s lineup:Â
Buzz Lightyear from “Toy Story”Derpy Tiger from “KPop Demon Hunters”Mario from NintendoPAC-MAN from Bandai Namco Shrek’s Onion Carriage
They will join longtime favorites, like Spider-Man and Beagle Scout Snoopy, as the parade marches from Central Park to Macy’s flagship store at Herald Square.
Also debuting this year, the parade has seven new floats, including “The Littlest Float” by Goldfish, which will drive the route in turn with existing float favorites.
The parade will also feature 28 performers, including “Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo, as well as 11 marching bands, four “balloonicles,” 33 clown crews, nine performance groups and 14 specialty units.
“We have so much to celebrate. It’s filled with music and sound,” Veras said. “We have great artists from Broadway, great artists from all sorts of musical genre, including the ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ [singers EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami], who will be performing the hit song ‘Golden’ for the first time in full.”
It takes months, even years, to prepare the balloons and floats at Macy’s Parade Studio in Moonachie, New Jersey before they are folded up to travel through the Lincoln Tunnel into Manhattan.
Weather forecast for the inflation and parade
Wednesday evening, the wind will kick in, bringing with it a sharp drop in temperatures and blustery conditions.
Thursday looks even colder for the parade, and we’ll have to watch the winds to make sure the balloons can fly. Right now, it seems likely they will, even if they’re held lower to the ground.
In 1971, strong winds grounded all of the balloons for the only time in the parade’s history.
Naveen Dhaliwal and
contributed to this report.
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