Workers and volunteers inflate giant balloons ahead of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

(27 Nov 2024) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS New York - 27 November 2024 1. Various of Macy’s production crew inflating balloons from One Piece and Diary of a Wimpy Kid for Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 2. SOUNDBITE (English) Kathleen Donahue Wright, Director of Production Operations: ++PARTIALLY COVERED++ “We are including the entire lineup of balloons for tomorrow's parade. There's about 30 balloons that we're inflating today. It's going to take us about eight hours to inflate the entire lineup. There is a team of Macy's studios, colleagues here who are inflating everything, and they're leading a team of about 100 volunteers who are supporting that process. So it'll take us all day to get up and ready for tomorrow's parade.” 3. Close of balloon tube 4. Various of crew worker preparing hose into the balloon 5. Various of balloons being inflated 6. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephanie Senkevich, Inflation lead: “We usually have about two hoses of helium running on a balloon at a given time, and there's a series of orders and instructions. You want to start with the top part first. So it raises above, and then you get to the lower chambers on the balloon and you go order by order, inflating it, making sure it looks nice and perfect for parade day.” 7. Pan of balloon being inflated 8. SOUNDBITE (English) Kathleen Donahue Wright, Director of Production Operations: “It’s that really fun behind the scenes sneak preview of the parade. It's that sneak behind the curtain, that peek at how it all comes together. And I think that's really fascinating to people and it's so much fun.” 9. Pan of balloon to Alford family 10. SOUNDBITE (English) Ericka Alford, spectator: “Yeah, we see it every year. We love the Thanksgiving parade and the balloons remind me of when I was a kid. And he likes them since he was a kid. So it just feels like something to do every year.” 11. Various of balloon being adjusted 12. SOUNDBITE (English) Maria Dikun, spectator: ++PARTIALLY COVERED++ “We watch the parade every year and thought this would be a great time to come and see it in person and see the balloons get blown up right before your eyes. REPORTER: Have you ever seen this before? DIKUN: “No. This is their first time.” REPORTER: “What do you think?” DIKUN: “This is awesome. It's so cool to be this close and see how big they are in person. It’s great.” 13. Various of Paw Patrol’s Marshall being inflated STORYLINE: The holiday season really kicks off when the massive helium balloons start floating through New York. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade — two years away from its 100th birthday — this year will feature 17 giant character balloons, 22 floats, 15 novelty and heritage inflatables, 11 marching bands, 700 clowns, 10 performance groups and more stars than can fit around a table. The parade begins rain or shine on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and ends at Macy’s Herald Square flagship store on 34th Street, which serves as a stage and backdrop for performances. There will be six new featured character balloons, including Minnie Mouse, “Extraordinary Noorah” with The Elf on the Shelf, Gabby from “Gabby’s Dollhouse,” Goku from ”Dragon Ball," Marshall from "Paw Patrol" and a new “Spider-Man.” ----- AP Video shot by Joseph B. Frederick =========================================================== Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel +44(0)2074827482 Email: [email protected]. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...