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Attended by millions of New Yorkers and tourists alike, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is one of the most iconic national events in the US calendar. Watched by over 50 million people on television the colorful explosion of performers and larger than life floats has become somewhat of a staple in the Big Apple where it all began in the early 1920’s. Conceived and organized by the immigrant employees of Macy’s Department Store in 1924, the event was conducted to celebrate their citizenship in the United States and simultaneously create a celebration that closely resembled European parades. Originally dubbed the Macy’s Christmas Parade, the now iconic local festival welcomes visitors from around the country and the world at large to witness a spectacle the likes of which is staged nowhere else in the United States, save for the Rose Parade in California.

Begun at 9am on November 22nd, the 2012 edition of the parade started on West 77th Street and headed towards Central Park South onto The Avenue of the Americas, going down 34th Street before concluding at Macy’s Herald Square. Marking the 86th edition of the parade, the float highlights at this year’s parade included the Gift of Freedom, the Big Apple and 1-2-3 Sesame Street which will joined 17 other floats on Thanksgiving Day.

Performances by the Street and Mannheim Steamroller, the NYPD Marching Band and the Spirit of American Dance also graced the parade route in addition to several storeys’ high balloons. Kermit the Frog, Ronald McDonald, Sailor Mickey Mouse, Spider-Man, Hello Kitty and Kung Fu Panda were the balloon highlights at this year’s parade in addition to balloon representations of beloved pop culture characters SpongeBob Squarepants, Buzz Lightyear, Sonic the Hedgehog and the Pillsbury Doughboy.

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