11/25/2014
By Ivan Pereira
This year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will offer much more than new floats.
Amy Kule, the show’s executive producer, said she and her team looked to social media and new technology to make the 88th parade fresh.
“With our new interactive floats, they won’t only see the parade, they will be in it,” she said.
Take the new Cracker Jack float, for example. Kule said there will be a special camera that will film the crowd and the video will be posted live on the float’s big screen.
Interested viewers can get a sneak peek at the balloons Wednesday at 3 p.m. when they are inflated around the American Museum of Natural History.
Kule said this year will see the biggest freshman class of balloons with six new characters that appeal to a wide audience, ranging from newcomers like Thomas the Tank Engine to returning favorites like Hello Kitty.
More than 8,000 participants, from school bands to clowns, will be performing and several celebrities like Renee Fleming, Nick Jonas and Meghan Trainor will be on hand.
Although the forecast calls for possible cold temperatures Kule said she expects the crowd to be as energized as ever.
“The parade goes on in any kind of weather,” she said. “Everybody who is a true parade fan, they wont let it bother them.”
