Bronx Zoo debuts 1st float in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
NEW YORK -- The Bronx Zoo had its first ever float in the 2024 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. It's a massive float but it's the little details that make it special.
The Bronx Zoo is 125 years old, and more than 11,000 different species call it home.
"Our actual birthday was on Nov. 8, 1899. We've been celebrating all year long, and it's really exciting that we get to continue that celebration in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade," said Meghann Kelley, with the zoo's Wildlife Conservation Society.
Kelley said they worked closely with Macy's Studios designers and engineers to create the float called "Wonderous World of Wildlife."
"The float is massive. It is three different section, three different biomes. We have life-sized animals on there," she explained.
Macy's Studios Creative Director Brendan Kennedy said the animals on the float are designed to look like the actual animals that live at the zoo, like one made to look like Julia the gorilla, who has called the zoo her home since the 1980s.
"Our amazing sculpting team and painters crafted her with love to look very similar to Julia to tell that story," he said.
The float is all about the animals, but it also had people on board as it made its way through the streets of Manhattan.
"We'll have Idina Menzel performing on our float, and also we'll have people in costume walking with it, which I think is going to be a big surprise," said Kelley.
The Bronx Zoo will be featured in the parade for three years, ending in 2026, which will mark the 100th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
