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| Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade: Phew! Giant Balloons Fly | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Fear no longer, parade enthusiasts. Astronaut Snoopy, SpongeBob SquarePants and Smokey Bear were given the all clear by the New York Police Department early Thursday morning and are flying above the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as planned. | |
| But the windy conditions did keep some of the balloons pretty low to the ground at points, with the handlers fighting the wind to keep the inflatables under control. | |
| Forecasts of rough weather had cast a cloud over the parade this week, with some worried that the enormous character balloons could be grounded, for only the second time since they became fixtures in the beloved holiday parade nearly a century ago. | Forecasts of rough weather had cast a cloud over the parade this week, with some worried that the enormous character balloons could be grounded, for only the second time since they became fixtures in the beloved holiday parade nearly a century ago. |
| But this year, it looks like it will be Giant Inflatable Characters 1; Mother Nature, 0. | But this year, it looks like it will be Giant Inflatable Characters 1; Mother Nature, 0. |
| The New York Police Department announced the decision on Twitter a little after 8 a.m. on Thursday. | The New York Police Department announced the decision on Twitter a little after 8 a.m. on Thursday. |
| As usual, the sky-high character balloons were already inflated and ready to go on Wednesday night, in the hopes that the weather would allow the parade to proceed as normal. | As usual, the sky-high character balloons were already inflated and ready to go on Wednesday night, in the hopes that the weather would allow the parade to proceed as normal. |
| New York has a strict and specific set of balloon-flight regulations that have been in place since 1997, when a windswept inflatable Cat in the Hat ran into a lamppost, leading to injuries to several people, including one woman who was in a coma for nearly a month. | New York has a strict and specific set of balloon-flight regulations that have been in place since 1997, when a windswept inflatable Cat in the Hat ran into a lamppost, leading to injuries to several people, including one woman who was in a coma for nearly a month. |
| Maneuvering a massive helium-filled balloon down the two-mile parade route can be a challenge even in the best of conditions. The biggest of the balloons measures 50 to 60 feet tall and can be just as long. | Maneuvering a massive helium-filled balloon down the two-mile parade route can be a challenge even in the best of conditions. The biggest of the balloons measures 50 to 60 feet tall and can be just as long. |
| The 16 giant balloons, which this year was to include a bare-chested Smokey Bear, Chase from “Paw Patrol” and a bright orange polka-dot sunburst by the artist Yayoi Kusama, also weigh hundreds of pounds. They require dozens of trained handlers to guide them through streets lined with gawking spectators and hulking buildings. | The 16 giant balloons, which this year was to include a bare-chested Smokey Bear, Chase from “Paw Patrol” and a bright orange polka-dot sunburst by the artist Yayoi Kusama, also weigh hundreds of pounds. They require dozens of trained handlers to guide them through streets lined with gawking spectators and hulking buildings. |
| According to city regulations, the balloons cannot fly if there are sustained winds above 23 miles per hour or if gusts exceed 34 miles per hour. | According to city regulations, the balloons cannot fly if there are sustained winds above 23 miles per hour or if gusts exceed 34 miles per hour. |
| Rodney Harrison, the Police Department’s chief of patrol, said on Wednesday that a police sergeant assigned to each giant balloon would be checking seven wind-detection machines, known as anemometers, as the balloons proceeded down the route from West 77th Street and Central Park West to the grandstand at Herald Square. | Rodney Harrison, the Police Department’s chief of patrol, said on Wednesday that a police sergeant assigned to each giant balloon would be checking seven wind-detection machines, known as anemometers, as the balloons proceeded down the route from West 77th Street and Central Park West to the grandstand at Herald Square. |
| The police were empowered to lower the balloons to deal with gusts, or take them off the route and deflate them if necessary. | The police were empowered to lower the balloons to deal with gusts, or take them off the route and deflate them if necessary. |
| “At the end of the day, public safety is paramount,” Chief Harrison said. | “At the end of the day, public safety is paramount,” Chief Harrison said. |
| In 1997, balloon handlers were grappling with winds that reached speeds in excess of 40 m.p.h., when the gusts pushed the six-story Cat in the Hat balloon into a lamppost. | In 1997, balloon handlers were grappling with winds that reached speeds in excess of 40 m.p.h., when the gusts pushed the six-story Cat in the Hat balloon into a lamppost. |
| One part of the lamppost broke off and fell onto parade spectators, injuring four people, including a 33-year-old woman who suffered a serious head injury. | One part of the lamppost broke off and fell onto parade spectators, injuring four people, including a 33-year-old woman who suffered a serious head injury. |
| In 2005, there was a lesser episode: A giant M&M balloon smacked into a light pole in Times Square and pulled off a fixture that crashed to the ground, injuring two spectators. Since then, police and parade organizers have vowed to not have another accident. | In 2005, there was a lesser episode: A giant M&M balloon smacked into a light pole in Times Square and pulled off a fixture that crashed to the ground, injuring two spectators. Since then, police and parade organizers have vowed to not have another accident. |
| Thousands of spectators were already gathered along the parade route when the game-day decision was made by the police Thursday morning. In addition to the giant balloons, parade watchers will be treated to the sights and sounds of 40 smaller inflatable figures, themed floats and Broadway performers. Musicians and marching bands from across the country will also serenade the assembled crowds. | Thousands of spectators were already gathered along the parade route when the game-day decision was made by the police Thursday morning. In addition to the giant balloons, parade watchers will be treated to the sights and sounds of 40 smaller inflatable figures, themed floats and Broadway performers. Musicians and marching bands from across the country will also serenade the assembled crowds. |
| In 1971, a cold, wet and windy Thanksgiving kept the giant balloons grounded. Even so, The Times reported then, tens of thousands of children watching seemed delighted that the rest of the show had gone on. | In 1971, a cold, wet and windy Thanksgiving kept the giant balloons grounded. Even so, The Times reported then, tens of thousands of children watching seemed delighted that the rest of the show had gone on. |
| “I like it, I like it,” a little boy named Dion Reynolds said as a friendly crocodile slithered by on Central Park West back then. Or, as K. Wade Bennett, then president of Macy’s had put it, as the last float of Macy’s 45th Annual Thanksgiving Parade pulled into Herald Square, “Well, we made it.” | “I like it, I like it,” a little boy named Dion Reynolds said as a friendly crocodile slithered by on Central Park West back then. Or, as K. Wade Bennett, then president of Macy’s had put it, as the last float of Macy’s 45th Annual Thanksgiving Parade pulled into Herald Square, “Well, we made it.” |
| Sarah Maslin Nir contributed reporting. |