Thanksgiving Day Parade 2011: Photos Of The Balloons Being Blown Up (PHOTOS)

While the march from 77th street to Macy's Herald Square on Thanksgiving morning is the main attraction, real New Yorkers get an exciting private show the night before the Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Now you can get in on the fun, too.

From 3pm to 10pm, the massive balloons get blown up near the Museum of Natural History on Central Park West. Classics and fan favorites go from limp bags to gorgeous, colorful characters. All the classics (like Kermit, Mickey Mouse and Snoopy) and more contemporary stars (amongst them, Sonic and Po from "Kung Fu Panda") are coming to life in NYC.

Oh, and creating fantastic photo opportunities like the worker with his popping out underneath the balloon as its being blown up.

Check out all the photos we've got of the preparation for the 85th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!

PHOTOS (Getty):

Comments

[Indie Voter]

09:30 PM on 11/24/2011

The huge diesel generator that powers the fans to blow these balloons up threw a piston, so they called out Monica Lewinsky to get the job done. Record time.

[AceOnTopOfKings]

05:09 PM on 11/24/2011

Happy Turkey Day everyone! :)

[circlebprod]

11:26 AM on 11/24/2011

the Macy's parade used to be great fun , but in the past several years you don't get to see much parade, you see the celebrety's talking and telling you what you're looking at, we seem them 7 days a week and would like to watch the parade, high school bands practice for weeks on end, and if they are lucky enough to be selected to be in the parade, sometime they get on TV for a whopping 2 seconds then its back to the celebrity's

[Joseph Arechavala]

08:39 AM on 11/24/2011

Cool, but you know what would be an interesting story? How the balloons are actually made.

[MochasMom]

11:44 AM on 11/24/2011

I was just wondering that myself.

[BVictor1]

02:16 AM on 11/24/2011

What's so amazing?

They show it every year.

Yay?!

[liblizard]

11:33 PM on 11/23/2011

I'm sensing a Cialis commercial......when they're in the mood.

[Karmella]

10:06 PM on 11/23/2011

I went to the Macy's Parade and Time Square on New Years Eve once. I almost passed out from the crushing crowd in Time Square. If I ever watch these events again, it would be from the comfort of my home. LOL

[Katco]

09:36 PM on 11/23/2011

This was a tradition for me when I lived in Connecticut... take the train into the city and have dinner, then watch the balloons being blown up until about 1:30 AM! Always great fun for adults who still have a bit of kid in them.

[LameDuckHunting]

09:05 PM on 11/23/2011

The good thing is they don't have to_blow_up_Christie.......................

[jojo2]

08:07 PM on 11/23/2011

Hang on, Snoopy..Snoopy hang on..

[AceOnTopOfKings]

05:10 PM on 11/24/2011

:)

[susanbsbi]

07:50 PM on 11/23/2011

The Balloons are suppose to be for the kids; but my inter child comes out and can't wait till 9AM. Thanks for the photots

[firewired]

07:38 PM on 11/23/2011

Hey, I hear that OWS is going to have a kazoo band march in the parade! Wonder what balloon they will tow?

[regulargal]

09:52 PM on 11/23/2011

Easy. A 99% balloon.

[CathrynF]

07:37 PM on 11/23/2011

For more about the origins of the Macy balloons and their creator, Tony Sarg, check out the new picture book, "Balloons Over Broadway" by Melissa Sweet. Fantastic!

[marbiol]

07:36 PM on 11/23/2011

This will be THE BEST Macy's Parade EVER!!! OWS is snding a few hundred of us to "Occupy the Macy's Parade"--in advance of Friday's occupation of stores that are publicly traded on wall st--and publicly held by the 1% in their IRAs, 401ks, etc.

It is going to one GREAT Thanksgiving Weekend in NYC!!! Thank you OWS---anbd Thank you Macy's for such a GREAT TARGET!!!!


The TV coverage will really help us get our message out---and the cops wont DARE use any aggression with all those kids on the sidewalks!!! SEIU's Dan Stern and his supporters will be positively giddy!!!

[firewired]

07:44 PM on 11/23/2011

"the cops wont DARE use any aggression with all those kids on the sidewalks"

Using kids as human shields is just so typical! Never say "the cops won't DARE!" About anything! Why not just sit it out and figure out what if anything you (and OWS) are
THANKFUL FOR! Or go out and play with the other kids.

[marbiol]

08:09 PM on 11/23/2011

go back and count your teabags! As Dan Stern [SEIU], one of OUR President's KEY advisors said “We kind of agree with Mao that political power comes largely from the barrel of a gun” and “if we can't use the power of persuasion, then we'll use the persuasion of power.”

this is a perfect chance to employ cloward & piven's tactic of overwhelming the government's resources!!!

as Al Sharptonsaid a few weeks back on msnbc

"Resist we much"

[liria2002]

07:16 PM on 11/23/2011

lol Photos of the Ballons?! Balloons lol