New Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade floats, balloons for 2024
Macy’s Parade 2024 will feature new balloons of Spider-Man and Dora, plus a new Disney float on Thanksgiving Day.
Updated Nov. 1, 2024; original version published Oct. 1, 2024.
The holiday season is right around the corner, and Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 2024 will feature several new balloons and floats this year. The parade will caravan through New York City, air on NBC, and stream on Peacock on Thursday, Nov. 28 at 8:30 a.m.
New balloons in Macy’s Parade 2024
Gabby and Pandy from ‘Gabby’s Dollhouse’
The DreamWorks Animation television series “Gabby’s Dollhouse” will take flight in balloon form along the Macy’s Parade route with a new balloon depicting the titular Gabby along with Pandy Paws.
Goku from ‘Dragon Ball Z’
Goku from Toei Animation’s “Dragon Ball Z” debuted as a balloon in the Macy’s Parade in 2018, but this year he’s trading in his Super Saiyan Blue look for his original Saiyan design in a newly crafted balloon.
Elf on the Shelf and Extraordinary Noorah
From the Lumistella Company comes a new ballon featuring Scout Elf riding Extraordinary Noorah, Santa’s arctic fox. Both characters are from the “Elf on the Shelf” merchandise line and book series.
Minnie Mouse
Minnie Mouse will appear in balloon form (and in person! … keep reading below) during the 2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, following in the footsteps of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck balloons of years past. Disney and Macy’s collaborated on a merchandise collection celebrating Minnie’s balloon debut.
Dora
A new balloon-and-float combo will celebrate “Dora,” the Paramount+ reboot of Nickelodeon’s “Dora the Explorer” (which had a balloon of its own in the 2000s). The unit will be titled “Dora’s Fantastical Rainforest | La Selva Fantástica de Dora.”
Marshall from ‘Paw Patrol’
Marshall the Dalmatian from “Paw Patrol,” another Nickelodeon favorite, will also debut as a new balloon in Macy’s Parade 2024.
Nickelodeon characters returning to Macy’s Parade 2024 from years past are SpongeBob (as a balloon) and the cast of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (on a float).
Spider-Man
Spider-Man will return to Macy’s Parade in a shiny, new balloon for 2024. The Marvel super hero previously had a balloon in the procession in 1987 and continuing for about a decade thereafter, as well as from 2009-2014.
Spidey’s new balloon is inspired by John Romita Sr.’s classic design of the hero, which Marvel calls “one of the most globally recognized versions of the character to date.”
“Just like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Spider-Man is a true New York City icon,” said Jordan Dabby, producer of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, “and I can’t wait for live spectators and viewers across the country to erupt in excitement as Spidey soars high above the streets of the Big Apple on Thanksgiving morning.”
“Ever since ‘Marvel Comics #1’ hit stands in 1939, Marvel’s home has always been New York,” remarked Chris Fondacaro, head of Marvel Franchise. “So when the opportunity to work with Macy’s came about to bring one of our most iconic characters back to one of the most emblematic events of New York City, we knew this was the perfect fit for Spidey and our brand’s legacy.”
New floats
Rao’s Homemade
Onboard a new float, the Rao’s Homemade Pasta Knight will battle a fire-breathing dragon.
Disney Cruise Line
Though Disney Cruise Line has had its own float in the parade for several years, a new vessel will debut in 2024’s parade, bringing to life eight bows of Disney cruise ships: the existing Disney Magic, Disney Wonder, Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy, and Disney Wish, as well as the upcoming Disney Treasure, Disney Destiny, and Disney Adventure.
To celebrate the December 2024 launch of the Disney Treasure, several characters from that new ship’s experiences will appear in the parade: Aladdin, Jasmine, Miguel from “Coco,” and Moana, among others. As in years past, Disney will perform a musical number along the parade route.
The Bronx Zoo
A new float in Macy’s Parade 2024 will spotlight the Bronx Zoo. Animals represented on the float will include the Amur tiger, giraffe, common ostrich, Grevy’s zebra, Von Der Decken’s hornbill, western lowland gorilla, okapi, and African gray parrot.
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