How to watch the balloon inflation for Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in NYC
NEW YORK -- The iconic balloons are coming to life for the 2024 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.
CBS News New York is hosting its annual Thanksgiving Eve Celebration live from the inflation zone in Central Park.
Join Dick Brennan, Jessica Moore, Lonnie Quinn and Alecia Reid for all the fun starting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.
The half-hour special will have a look at what's new this year, plus the parade forecast and the history of the holiday tradition.
Watch live in the video player above, the CBS News app, Pluto TV or anywhere you stream.
Where to watch the 2024 balloon inflation
The inflation celebration is free and open to spectators along Central Park West.
Organizers say the line opens at 12 p.m., and the viewing will be held from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The inflation zone is located outside the American Museum of Natural History, between West 77th and 81st streets.
Visitors will enter through a security checkpoint at West 77th Street and Columbus Avenue, then exit between West 82nd and 86th streets.
Balloon inflation road closures
Drivers should prepare for several parade road closures Thursday, but some take effect even earlier for Wednesday's inflation.
Organizers say the following streets will be closed from 12 a.m. Wednesday to 12 p.m. Thursday:
- Central Park West is closed from West 72nd Street to West 86th Street
- West 72nd Street through West 85th Street is closed from Central Park West to Columbus Avenue
- The 79th Street Transverse is also closed
New balloons joining the parade this year
Thursday's parade will feature 22 larger-than-life balloons, including six new characters making their debut this year:
- Disney's Minnie Mouse
- Extraordinary Noorah & Elf on the Shelf
- Gabby from "Gabby's Dollhouse"
- Goku from "Dragon Ball"
- Marshall from "PAW Patrol"
- Spider-Man, which is returning after more than a decade
They will join longtime favorites, like The Pillsbury Doughboy and Ronald McDonald, as the parade marches from Central Park, down Sixth Avenue to Macy's flagship store at Herald Square.
All of the balloons and floats were built at Macy's Parade Studio in Moonachie, New Jersey, then folded up to travel through the Lincoln Tunnel and into Manhattan.
The giant characters each take about 1.5 hours to inflate and roughly 90 handlers to keep them afloat.
Balloon inflation forecast
A winter storm is blowing into town with rain, wind and even snow for some areas northwest of the city.
Wind is the biggest factor that could impact the balloons and their ability to fly. In 1971, strong winds grounded all the balloons for the only time in parade history.
Wednesday's forecast looks mostly sunny before showers begin later tonight.
Thanksgiving will be rainy and breezy with highs in the upper 40s near 50. Winds are expected to reach 15 to 25 mph, so they shouldn't be too much of an issue.