At the hotel we were told to move away from Herald’s Square to watch the parade because this area is blocked off for the NBC telecast and not accessible to the public. The grandstand seating you see on television is for Macy’s employees, family members and parade partners. In 1924, originally known as Macy’s Christmas Parade, the Parade was started by Macy’s employees and featured animals from the Central Park Zoo. It was such a success that Macy’s declared it would become an annual event and today it takes 8,000 volunteers to put on the 2 1/2 mile parade.
On the Roll Again with Andra Day: With a vintage flair & voice for the ages, Andra Day has perfected her retro pop soul sound and is ready to share it. Her alluring powerful alto voice has inspired comparisons to Amy Winehouse & Adele. This family of ducks measures over 46 ft long.
Each time a float stopped in front of us we had to figure out who the celebrity was on the float. We did know a few but with 27 floats there were several we didn’t. Some times there were banners in front that said who the performer was. Other times we had to depend on Holan to tell us.
This year performers were Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, Mariah Carey, Dove Cameron and Sofia Carson, Cirque du Soleil, Daughtry, Andra Day, Andy Grammer, Sandra Lee, Shawn Mendes, MercyMe, Mipso, Miss America 2016 Betty Cantrell, Jennifer Nettles, NHL legends Mark and Marty Howe, Jake Owen, Panic! at the Disco, Plain White T’s, Rachel Platten, Questlove with the cast and the Muppets of “Sesame Street,” Prince Royce, the cast of Broadway’s “School of Rock,” Trey Songz, Jordin Sparks, Chica and the gang from Sprout and Train.