How to watch the balloon inflation for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in NYC

NEW YORK – The iconic balloons come to life for the 2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.

CBS News New York hosts its annual Thanksgiving celebration live from the Inflation Zone in Central Park.

Join Dick Brennan, Jessica Moore, Lonnie Quinn and Alecia Reid for all the fun starting Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.

In the half-hour special you’ll find out what’s new this year, as well as the parade forecast and the history of the holiday tradition.

Watch live in the video player above, on the CBS News app, on Pluto TV or wherever you stream.

Where can you watch the balloon inflation in 2024?

The Inflation Celebration is free and open to spectators along Central Park West.

Organizers say the line opens at 12 p.m. and viewing will take place 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 enter through a security checkpoint at West 77th Street and Columbus Avenue and then exit between West 82nd Street and 86th Street.

Road closures due to balloon inflation

Motorists should prepare for several parade road closures on Thursday, but some will go into effect even earlier on Wednesday due to inflation.

Organizers say the following streets will be closed from 12pm Wednesday to 12pm Thursday:

• Central Park West is closed from West 72nd Street to West 86th Street
• West 72nd Street to West 85th Street is closed from Central Park West to Columbus Avenue
• The 79th Street cross street is also closed

This year new balloons will be taking part in the parade

Thursday’s parade will feature 22 larger-than-life balloons, including Six new characters make their debut this year:

• Disney’s Minnie Mouse
• Exceptional Noorah & Elf on the Shelf
• Gabby from “Gabby’s Dollhouse”
• Goku from “Dragon Ball”
• Marshall from PAW Patrol
• Spider-Man returning after more than a decade

They’ll join longtime favorites like The Pillsbury Doughboy and Ronald McDonald as the parade marches from Central Park down Sixth Avenue to the Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square.

All balloons and floats were Built at Macy’s Parade Studio in Moonachie, New Jerseythen folded up to travel through the Lincoln Tunnel and into Manhattan.

They take months, even years, to complete, and designers say they’re already working on next year’s creations.

Balloon inflation forecast

A The winter storm blows into the city with rain, wind and even snow in some areas northwest of the city.

Wind is the biggest factor that could affect the balloons and their ability to fly. In 1971, strong winds brought all the balloons to a standstill for the only time in the parade’s history.

The weather forecast for Wednesday looks to be mostly sunny before showers arrive later tonight.

Thanksgiving will be rainy and windy with highs in the upper 40s around 50. Wind speeds are expected to reach 15 to 25 mph, so they shouldn’t be too much of a problem.