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Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

A team of people, including one on a tall ladder, pump up the Dora the Explorer balloon inside a massive warehouse.

The Dora the Explorer balloon gets pumped up for a flight over the streets of New York City in the 98th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Barry Gordemer/NPR hide caption

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Barry Gordemer/NPR

Pop Culture

Here's how the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is brought to life

Meet the people who make the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, where balloons fly and imaginations soar.

Macy's Parade Makers

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Tom Turkey pictured in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in November 2023.

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, pictured in November 2023, has been a fixture of the holiday since 1924, minus a few years during World War II. Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images hide caption

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Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images

Television

How to watch Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, a tradition 100 years in the making

Macy's is promising its largest Thanksgiving Day parade yet, exactly 100 years after the tradition first started. Here's a look at what to expect and how to watch.

Native American playwright Larissa FastHorse takes on the 'wild mess' of Thanksgiving

Playwright Larissa FastHorse is a 2020 MacArthur Fellow and co-founder of Indigenous Direction, a consulting firm for Indigenous arts and audiences. John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation hide caption

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John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

Theater

Native American playwright Larissa FastHorse takes on the 'wild mess' of Thanksgiving

Fresh Air

Larissa FastHorse is updating the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to make it "less harmful" to Indigenous people. She's also consulting on a new Peter Pan and has a satire called The Thanksgiving Play.

Native American playwright Larissa FastHorse takes on the 'wild mess' of Thanksgiving

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Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade makes a comeback, but safety measures continue

Police walk by an inflated helium balloon of Grogu, also known as Baby Yoda, from the Star Wars show The Mandalorian, on Wednesday in New York, as the balloon is readied for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday. Ted Shaffrey/AP hide caption

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Ted Shaffrey/AP

National

Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade makes a comeback, but safety measures continue

Spectators, shut out in 2020, are lining the route again. Parade staffers and volunteers must be vaccinated against COVID-19 and wear masks, though some singers and performers can take them off.

You Can Once Again Watch The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade In Person This Year

The 94th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was held in a modified version on Nov. 26 in New York City. Macy's said the 2021 parade will include new precautions as in-person viewing resumes in Manhattan. Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Macy's Inc. hide caption

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Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Macy's Inc.

Television

You Can Once Again Watch The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade In Person This Year

Last year's parade was a virtual event with no crowds. Several precautions will be in place this year, including a requirement that parade volunteers be vaccinated and wear face coverings.

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