EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (PIX11) – Balloons for the 98th Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade got their first test flight during Balloonfest at Met Life Stadium on Saturday.
The annual event gives a sneak peek of new balloons and allows handlers to take them on a field test ahead of their parade debut.
“It’s our opportunity to take all of our balloons that we’ve been building indoors and testing indoors, out to the real world environment,” said Macy’s spokesperson Will Coss.
Macy’s added six new and revamped balloons to its line-up including Minnie Mouse, Spider-Man, The Elf on the Shelf and Extraordinary Noorah, Gabby from “Gabby's Dollhouse,” Marshall from “Paw Patrol,” and Goku from the “Dragon Ball” franchise.
“It’s a bit of fun, it’s a bit of celebration, it’s our first day bringing these out to the general public but there’s also some work that’s happening behind the scenes,” Coss told PIX11 News.
New and returning characters will take flight on Nov. 28 for the 98th Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade.
Dominique Jack is a digital content producer from Brooklyn with more than five years of experience covering news. She joined PIX11 in 2024. More of her work can be found here.
