"The balloons are the best part," Matthew Ragbe, 11, said as he watched them leave their launchpads on 77th Street and turn the corner to face the crowds of paradegoers, many of whom waited hours to secure a good viewing spot.
Tens of thousands of people lining the parade route were not disheartened by freezing temperatures or the drama over whether Spider-Man, Julius, Snoopy and SpongeBob SquarePants would make their scheduled appearances along with a dozen other puffed-up sky-bound creatures.
"We thought they'd find a way to pull it off," said paradegoer John Mispagel, of San Jose, Calif. "It's really fun seeing so many people having such a great time."
Dozens of balloon handlers kept a tight grip on their inflated characters, keeping them close to the ground to fight winds that reached the mid-20 mph range.
Caution was necessary to prevent a recurrence of the kind of high-wind accident that crashed a Cat in the Hat balloon into a light pole in 1997, seriously injuring a spectator. Balloons were only grounded once in the parade's history, with bad weather to blame in 1971.
The balloons were sprinkled along a parade led by a bright orange Tom Turkey float that gleamed in the sunlight. Also featured were thousands of baton twirlers, clowns, cheerleaders, marching musicians and performers including Brett Eldredge, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Jimmy Fallon and the Roots, the Goo Goo Dolls and Kellie Pickler.
"It's amazing," Pickler said, preparing to sing "Little Bit Gypsy." "This is such an honor to be a part of this parade. I grew up watching this."
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