NEW YORK — A high-kicking Kung Fu Panda and a diary-toting Wimpy Kid joined the giant balloon lineup as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade unfolded Thursday, drawing tens of thousands of spectators to the annual extravaganza on a chilly, overcast morning.
Emily Rowlinson, a tourist from London, squealed and snapped pictures with her cellphone as the massive Smurf balloon floated by a packed sidewalk along the route.
“We don’t have anything like this in England,” she exclaimed. “We have parades. We don’t have any sort of huge, floating beasts. It’s very cool.”
As millions more watched the live broadcast on television, revelers gathered nationwide for other parades in cities such as Detroit, Chicago and Philadelphia.
The parades headline observances across the nation that also feature football and family dinners with too much food on the table.
The Macy’s parade featured an eclectic lineup of entertainers including Kanye West, Gladys Knight and Colombian rocker Juanes. The Broadway casts of “American Idiot” and “Elf” performed, along with marching bands from across the United States.
Perched on her father’s shoulders, 16-month-old Stella La racque wriggled and danced with excitement as SpongeBob SquarePants, Hello Kitty, Shrek and other beloved figures wafted past her.
“She doesn’t really know the characters, but she’s loving it,” said her father, Mike Laracque of Manhattan.
Surveying the scene with four of her relatives, Emily Hine confessed that she’d initially been loath to come from Boyertown, Pa., about 100 miles southwest of Manhattan.
“I was dreading the crowds, but I’m enjoying it more than I anticipated,” she said, adding that the balloons are bigger than she’d imagined from watching previous years’ parades on TV. “It’s more up-close and personal.”
The Macy’s parade started in 1924 when employees from the department store marched in costume from Harlem to Macy’s flagship store on 34th Street.
The parade was suspended from 1942 to 1944 because rubber and helium were needed for World War II, making Thursday’s parade the 84th.
