Speaking to NBC’s Al Roker on air on Thursday, President Joe Biden encapsulated the spirit of the return of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.
“After two years, we’re back,” Biden said during Thursday’s broadcast, watching with his family from Nantucket, Mass. “America is back. There’s nothing we’re unable to overcome.”
And back it was — full of the traditional trappings of the iconic parade: Throngs of cheering fans. College and high school marching bands. Broadway’s brightest stars performing. Larger-than-life balloons — including Pokémon’s flagship mascot Pikachu, this year on a sled joined by friend Eevee, newcomer Grogu, the breakout star of Star Wars series “The Mandalorian,” and Dragon Ball Super’s Goku. And, of course, Santa Claus brought up the rear to usher in the holiday season.
The Thanksgiving parade is another sign that the U.S. is returning to normal after a year unlike any other, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, which killed more than 775,000 Americans, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
The parade still took place last year, though it was markedly different than in past years: The iconic giant balloons were tethered to vehicles instead of handlers in costumes. Performers were largely local to reduce travel. And much of the parade was pre-taped or limited to the
But thanks to the COVID-19 vaccines — nearly 60% of the country, more than 196 million Americans, are fully vaccinated; almost 69% of New York City residents are fully inoculated — and the easing of restrictions, the parade returned with gusto.
That’s not to say safety measures were completely eschewed, especially in New York, where many restrictions are still in place.
Parade staffers and volunteers had to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and wear masks, though some singers and performers were allowed to shed their face coverings. The inflation of the iconic giant balloons — a popular pre-parade spectacle — was limited to vaccinated viewers. And while was no vaccination requirement for spectators, Macy’s and the city encouraged them to wear face coverings.
Despite New York Mayor Bill de Blasio saying this week that there was no credible threat to the parade, thousands of police officers kept vigilant watch along the parade’s route, standing on the street and watching from the rooftops.
Cars were blocked from the parade route with sand-filled garbage trucks, other heavy vehicles and roughly 360,000 pounds of concrete barriers. Bomb-detecting dogs, bomb squad officers, heavy-weapons teams, radiation and chemical sensors and over 300 extra cameras also were dispatched to the parade route, the NYPD told The Associated Press.
For a pandemic weary country and city, the larger-than-life balloons and performances was a return to normalcy — and as Santa Claus bore down the parade route on his sleigh in the parade’s grand finale, blowing kisses to the crowd and greeted by a cheering crowd, normal never felt so welcome.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.