By Gus Saltonstall
Before the world famous Thanksgiving Day Parade sets off on Thursday, the iconic balloons and floats that make up the procession come to life Wednesday on the Upper West Side.
Crowd favorites such as Snoopy, Smokey Bear, Spider Man, and Dora will be inflated the day before the parade.
In total, there will be 34 balloons and 28 floats in this year’s rendition of the event, including five new balloons and seven new floats.
Here is what to know about the inflation event on Wednesday, which the public can attend.
Location and Time
The viewing hours for the Inflation Event will be from 1 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, but the line to get in will open at noon.
The inflation event will take place outside the American Museum of Natural History from West 77th to 81st streets, between Columbus and Central Park West.
All guests, though, must enter through a secure checkpoint at West 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue. Once you’re through the checkpoint, the route heads up along Central Park West to West 77th Street, before turning west and traveling along Columbus Avenue until West 81st Street.
After viewing the balloons, guests will exit the inflation area at West 81st Street and Central Park West, and head north on Central Park West to see the float assembly between West 81st and 86th streets.
Here is a diagram of the route.
Street Closures
The street closures related to the Thanksgiving Day Parade and Inflation Event begin on Wednesday.
Central Park West from West 72nd to 86th streets will be closed starting at 12 a.m. on Wednesday, and will remain shut off through noon on Thursday.
West 72nd through 85th streets from Central Park West to Columbus will also be closed from 12 a.m. on Wednesday through an unspecified time on Thursday. Additionally, the 79th Street Transverse in Central Park will be closed from 2 a.m. on Wednesday through noon on Thursday.
What Else to Know
You do not need a ticket and it is free to attend the Inflation Event.
There are a variety of items prohibited from the Inflation-Event viewing area, including umbrellas, backpacks, large bags, chairs, alcohol, drones, and e-cigarettes.
The closest subway station to the entrance point is the B and C stop at 72nd Street and Central Park West.
The event will take place rain or shine.
You can find out more about the Inflation Event — HERE.
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Remember when…?
My thoughts exactly.
I remember when the inflation event was a cozy UWS affair where neighbors gathered on 77th Street with Thermoses of hot beverages to watch the all-night magic happen. And people lucky enough to have windows overlooking the street invited guests to the viewing. Alas, the thing has ballooned, so to speak, to bizarre proportions. Barriers and bag checks? No, thanks.
Also unconstitutional stops and frisks that aren’t even recorded in the official NYC stop and frisk database and are Level 3 encounters that might have been falsely downgraded to Level 1 stops when officers do the paperwork.
What are you talking about?
One thing is very clear is that Macy’s is not a company that values diversity and inclusion and obviously exclusion is something that liberal UWS tolerates. Hopefully now that Zohran Mamdani is mayor, these are things that leadership in the UWS can be forced to address.
Someone has been inhaling too much of the balloon helium
Huh??
what are you even talking about?? Nothing like making statements without a bit of context or explanation.
Thanks for the PSA. I will be sure to spend more at Macy’s then originally intended. Happy Thanksgiving.
Have you shopped there lately? Do you know that Macy’s employees are welcome to participate? At least they could when I worked there.
As much as I disagree with Sara Lind on transportation issues, disagree with Sara Lind on repurposing parking spaces on the UWS, if Sara Lind was the Councilmember instead of Gale Brewer and she worked diligently to get results on the concerns regarding the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and their hosting it on the UWS addressed, it would mean the world to me! It would more than make up for the repurposed parking spaces due to initiatives like Smart Curbs!
It would be nice if Mark Gorton from Tower Research Capital and Open Plans is reading the comments and would have Tower Research Capital buy Macy’s stock in order to push a hostile takeover of the company. They have a lot of financial potential. If I ran for office, doing that alone would make me support the urbanist agenda even if I personally disagree with it!
I would respond but I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.
Best response!
HUH ??? Makes absolutely not even a whisper of sense. Please explain, that is, if you wish to be understood.
Address what?
You post the same thing every year, yet you’ve never given a reason for your comments. If you have legitimate concerns then why not mention what they are?
I do not need to give a reason. All I know is that for the right person, Sheldon Fine would have ensured that the issues were addressed already!
you don’t need to give a reason?!?!? Then how do you expect anyone to enter into a dialogue with you and potentially seek the same changes you seek? Your rationale is part of the larger problem – “let me complain about something or throw out an accusation but give you no reasoning or explanation and then when asked, simply say, I don’t owe you a reason.” That’s why nothing is getting done.
Maybe if Sheldon Fine and leadership in the UWS Jewish community gave the same courtesy to other minority groups that they gave to one of their own Matthew Mahrer who actually did something bad, while other minorities get discriminated for doing nothing wrong or illegal, there may be a dialogue!
again – what are you talking about?? Context, explanation, anything?
Way to go. Nothing like throwing rain on a parade. Debbie Downer couldn’t have said it better.
really Roland, a fart in everyone’s face.
Thanks for the helpful information, Gus, especially re the street closures starting tomorrow.
(By the way, I think they should rename the “Inflation Event” this year!)
I know, right?! Even just changing it to “Balloon Inflation” would be better.
Wouldn’t make it past Malachy’s.
NW corner of West 72nd and Columbus, for those not up on Irish bars of the UWS.
a terrific alternative!
What happens at 6PM when official viewing hours are over? Are the streets closed to anyone who doesn’t live there?
Yes – access to those streets is shut off (unless you live on them). You can walk by on Columbus Avenue after 6pm and get a partial view of some of the balloons.
I remember 40/45 years ago when the balloons were only on 77th Street. I live only feet from 77th and we used to walk down the block the night before and actually touch the balloons. It was more a local event than what it has become. Memories of a different New York.
Did anyone else come here for details about the inflation event thinking it was some kind of protest against the price of goods? I did.
I guess my coffee has not kicked in yet.
We are protesting how this event shows that both Macy’s and the UWS see certain types of people as beneath them. Building all the affordable housing in the world will not solve this!
please explain.
Specifically, how does Macy’s not “value diversity”? Will Cross is the Executive Producer of the Thanksgiving Day parade. Go online to check him out. He’s not white. Have you ever been in Macy’s? The sales team is VERY diverse as is the helpful manager who recently assisted me. Maybe back up your comments with accurate data. And it’s Thanksgiving so why not just enjoy the parade?
I saw the byline the other day for ‘inflation event’ and I thought, “What an odd topic—will other economic problems be addressed? Food prices? I’ll pass on this event…”
Only now did I realize the inflation event has nothing to do with economics! Duh!
Waiting for the Vulcans to land, see this parade, and then turn around at warp speed and never come back. Same should go for this parade; it’s become more of a nuisance. But I digress and will be positive to say that at least people will not be staring at their phones walking down the block…oh wait; they’ll be looking through their phones at balloons and posting on social media to show all of the other insta-bros how great their life is…..meanwhile in the background some wife is cursing her husband because he’s trying to get through the effin event as soon as possible…she’s yelling “slow down….they’re gonna get sick”….or something similar while he moans internally thinking about the double scotch he’s going to pour when he gets home sitting in his dark suburban living room being “thankful.”
It’s so nice to be positive, isn’t it?
Not a lot of gray area here, sir!
Yeah. You make good points. But at least we got Mamdani.
Thank you to the crew of dedicated workers who make Inflation happen and stay at our two UWS favorite hotels, The Wallace and The Lucerne!
Wonder if the Zohran folks will have a massive protest tomorrow
In the 80s, my high school friends and I would gather on 81st between CPW and Columbus and play catch or extremely mild touch football around 11PM or midnight, when things were super quiet. Having grown up on the block, our family would be awakened Thanksgiving morning by visiting marching bands warming up in the museum parking area — nothing like a little tuba and trombone to start your day! We would never have conceived of the crowds nowadays, nor can we now conceive of the relative ease and lowkey-ness of back then.
Is anyone angry that the helium in the balloons will not be reused? When the balloons reach the end of the parade route they are immediately deflated with the helium released into the air. Hey environmentalists, I think you may be missing out on something here.