The legendary parade is back for 2022 and you can watch it on Thursday, November 24, at 9 a.m. We visited Macy’s Parade Studio, the parade headquarters, to get the inside story.
StellantisCome Thanksgiving morning—in 2022, that’s November 24—the kitchen windows steam up, the aroma of roasting turkey wafts through the house, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is on TV. It will be broadcast from 9 a.m. to noon (live on the East Coast, tape-delayed elsewhere)—and on NBC’s Peacock streaming service. Now in its 96th running, the parade is annually viewed in person by some 3.5 million spectators and televised to an estimated 50 million. In 2022 there are 28 floats, plus 16 giant balloon characters, traveling a 2.5-mile-long route in Manhattan that ends, naturally, at Macy’s in Herald Square.
Between the balloon handlers, clowns, cheerleaders, dancers, marching bands, and celebrity performers, about 6500 people will take part in the 2022 parade. Unsurprisingly, we were most interested in the drivers, who tow the floats. We visited Macy’s Parade Studio, the parade headquarters, and found out some things you may not have known about the spectacle.
1 Ram Trucks Tow the Floats
For the 2022 parade, Ram is again the official truck, which means Ram pickups will tow all the floats—more than two dozen of them. Once they’re loaded up with performers and kids, those floats can weigh up to eight tons. Additional Ram trucks and ProMaster commercial vans work behind the scenes as well, moving costumes, tool containers, and other parade equipment.
2 In Past Years, It Was GMCs
Prior to 2015, which was the first year for Ram trucks, GMC pickups and SUVs did the towing. GMC’s run lasted for more than 30 years, going back to the early 1980s.
3 Teamsters Do the Driving
Taylor Hill/Getty ImagesThe people commanding the balloons (as many as 90 per balloon) are all Macy’s employees and friends, but the drivers at the wheel of the trucks towing the floats are members of New York City’s Theatrical Teamsters union, Local 817. They’re supposed to wear jackets and ties for parade duty.
4 The Real Starting Point Is Moonachie, New Jersey
Mireja Acierto/Getty ImagesAlthough the parade route begins on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, on Central Park West at 77th Street, the floats first need to get from the warehouse where they’re built and stored, in Moonachie, New Jersey, to the starting point in the city. For that trip, the floats, which can be as much as 50 feet long and two or three stories tall, have to be broken down to a maximum size of 8.5 feet wide by 12.5 feet high, so they can go through the Lincoln Tunnel.
5 For the Drivers, the Parade Kicks Off on Wednesday Night
Mireja Acierto/Getty ImagesThe trip from New Jersey into Manhattan takes place around midnight on Wednesday. Because many of the floats have been partly deconstructed, there are additional trailers carrying the attendant pieces, for a total of more than 50 in all. They travel in convoy, with an escort from multiple police agencies, through the center tube of the Lincoln Tunnel (which is briefly closed to other traffic), to the staging area just north of the parade’s official starting point.
6 Getting Back to Jersey, Drivers Are on Their Own
Ann Manner/Getty ImagesThe parade route ends in front of Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square. From there, the floats proceed one more block west and then turn north onto Seventh Avenue, where they meet the auxiliary trailers (which have been sent to the end point before the parade starts). The floats are again partly broken down for the return trip to Jersey. This time, though, there’s no convoy and no police escort. As each float is ready, the drivers are sent off on their own, creeping slowly through the Lincoln Tunnel, in holiday traffic, back to New Jersey.
7 Nobody Wants to Drive the Santa Claus Float
NBCGetty ImagesSanta (pictured here in the 2020 parade) is the least popular because he comes last in the parade, making for a very long day for his driver.
Keyword: 7 Things You Probably Didn’t Know about Driving in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade