Parade

Nov. 26 (UPI) — The annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade gets underway at 8:30 a.m. EST on Thursday, marking the event’s 99th celebration of the national holiday.

This year’s holiday event includes 34 balloons, 28 floats and several live performances.

Live performers who are scheduled to appear include BustaRhymes, Lainey Wilson, HUNTR/X from KPop Demons Hunters, Ciara, Cynthia Enrivo and others, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Four new balloons are scheduled to participate, including Mario by Nintendo, Pac-Man by Bandai Namco Entertainment America, Buzz Lightyear by Pixar Animation Studios and Shrek’s Onion Carriage by DreamWorks Animation.

Among new floats will be The Land of Ice & Wonder by HollandAmerica Line, Brick-tastic Winter Mountain by the Lego Group and Master Chocolatier Ballroom by Lindt.

Also new for the parade are the floats Upside Down Invasion: Stranger Things by Netflix, Friends-giving in Pop City by Pop Mart and Serta’s Counting Sheep’s Dream.

Santa’s sleigh brings up the rear and marks the end of the parade when it passes by spectators.

Balloon preparations began at 1 p.m. EST on Wednesday and continued until 6, with each balloon taking about 90 minutes to fill with helium, Macy’s spokesperson Orlanda Veras told CBS News.

The colorful parade starts at 77th Street and Central Park West and will follow a 2.5-mile route running from the Upper West Side of Midtown Manhattan, down 8th Avenue to Columbus Circle, where it turns left onto 59th Street and then right onto 6th Avenue.

Once on 6th Avenue, the parade continues to 34th Street, where it turns right and ends at Macy’s flagship store on Herald Square.

Macy’s says the best viewing locations for those planning to attend are on Central Park West, at the intersection of 7th Avenue and 59th Street, and at the intersection of 6th Avenue and 42nd Street.

Others can watch the parade live on local NBC channels or by livestreaming it on Peacock.

The live broadcast starts at 8:30 a.m. EST and ends at noon, but NBC will air it again starting at 2 p.m.

Viewers also can watch the parade on Telemundo.

Dodgers fans filled the streets of downtown Los Angeles early Monday morning, to celebrate the Dodgers becoming baseball’s first back-to-back World Series champion in 25 years.

The celebratory parade is commenced at 11 a.m., with the Dodgers traveling on top of double-decker buses through downtown with a final stop at Dodger Stadium.

The 2025 Dodgers team has been a bright spot for many Angelenos during an otherwise tumultuous year for the region, after historic firestorms devastated thousands of homes in January and then widespread immigration sweeps over the summer by the Trump administration.

(Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)

Manager Dave Roberts holds the Commissioner’s Trophy during the Dodgers World Championship Parade and Celebration Monday.

(Kayla Bartkowsk/Los Angeles Times)

Ramon Ontivros, left, and Michelle Ruiz, both from Redlands, join fans lining the streets of downtown Los Angeles.

(Kayla Bartkowsk/Los Angeles Times)

From left, Mike Soto, Luis Espino, and Francisco Espino, join fans lining the streets of downtown Los Angeles.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

Mia Nava, 9, waves a flag. “She’s skipping school today and her teachers know her passion.” Said her mom, Jennie Nava.

(Carlin Stiehl/For The Times)

Alex Portugal holds onto a championship belt at Dodger Stadium. Claudia Villar Lee, poses with a model of the World Series trophy around her neck.

(Kayla Bartkowsk/Los Angeles Times)

Young fans line the streets of downtown Los Angeles for the Dodgers World Championship Parade and Celebration.

The wait for the first Dodgers parade of the century: 36 years.

The wait for the second: One year and two days.

On Monday, in celebration of the Dodgers becoming baseball’s first back-to-back champion in 25 years, Los Angeles will throw another party for the Dodgers.

The Dodgers’ 2025 championship parade starts Monday at 11 a.m. and runs through downtown, followed by a rally at Dodger Stadium. The rally requires a ticket, which can be obtained starting at noon Sunday at dodgers.com/postseason.

For fans with rally tickets, parking lot gates will open at 8:30 a.m. and stadium gates at 9 a.m. The event is expected to start at about 12:15 p.m.

The parade and rally will be aired live on Channels 2, 4, 5, 7, 9 and 11 as well as SportsNet LA and AM 570, the team said.

In last year’s rally, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and Ice Cube performed next to one another, with Roberts dancing and Ice Cube singing.

At one point, future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw took his turn at the microphone and hollered, “Dodger for life!”

In September, Kershaw announced he would retire at the end of the season. In his only World Series appearance, he got a critical out in the Dodgers’ 18-inning victory in Game 3.

He’ll make his final Dodger Stadium appearance as a player as part of a second consecutive championship rally. He’ll be back: The Dodgers will retire his No. 22 — they retire the number of all their Hall of Famers — and he’d certainly be in line to throw ceremonial first pitches in the Dodgers’ future postseason runs.

For now, though: Three-time champion Dodger for life.