Imagine. Fresh cranberry sauce is poured into a bowl, placed right next to the family gravy boat. The ‘apple spice’ candle lit ever so brightly fills every corner of the house with comforting warmth that only comes with the holidays. Tender to the touch, the turkey finally makes its way to the dinner table as clouds of steam envelope the air. Thanksgiving couldn’t get any better.

Every year, families and friends join in grace to demonstrate how grateful they are for their life and everyone in it; Thanksgiving unifies the nation with the idea that everyone is privileged in some way and should simply be thankful. American traditions, i.e. a turkey feast, football, etc., have accompanied this annual holiday for years now. One of the most important being the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

First celebrated in 1924, the Macy’s Day Parade initially directed its purpose to advertising for Macy’s; however, a celebration of blimps, costumes, performances, and balloons transformed this event into what is now one of the biggest parade events in the nation, let alone New York City. Attracting nearly 4 million viewers per year, this Thanksgiving extravaganza is a morning filled with entertainment.

One of the main parts of the parade that people look forward to more than anything are the over-sized balloons. This year they represent companies like Pillsbury and Twentieth Century Fox with characters like the Pillsbury Dough Boy and Ice Age’s Scrat & His Acorn. Definitely a sight for the children! Other novelty balloons include the Macy’s Star and other unconventional characters.

Another extremely important aspect are the floats on which talents perform and stage actors dress up in order to bring to life the overall theme of each one. The 2016 parade is bringing floats themed the Big Apple, On the Roll Again, Santa’s Sleigh, Tom Turkey, 1-2-3 Sesame Street, Mount Rushmore’s American Pride, Planter’s Nutmobile, and more! Accompanying the floats are an overwhelming number of exactly 27 performers of a variety of talents, from Olympian gold medalist, Laurie Hernandez, to famous pop singer, Daya. In addition, nearly fifteen marching bands, seven of which are from high schools across the country, will receive the chance play at the parade. People are expecting nothing but pompous celebrations on this joyous day.

The last of the parade participants include clowns and performance groups. Despite the nation’s ‘clown’ craze, particularly among younger generations, over 10 clown groups will be featured to honor this 90 year old tradition. It will be interesting to see the reactions people have to the clowns after the incidents reported in the last few months. The performance groups, on the other hand, are a thrill to witness as they perform intense routines that awe the masses.

The parade will begin promptly at 9AM EST following through 2.5 miles of public viewing. Tune into NBC Thanksgiving morning to witness this spectacular event!