Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade provided a deflating experience for the people of New York this year.
Even though the event should have only been on TV because of COVID-19, a small crowd of potential revelers on Thursday and NYPD barricades airtight ringing tried to watch the show in person on Thursday – but say they wish they had stayed home.
“It would have been better if I had watched this on TV,” complained Julia Korzah, one of the few live viewers around Herald Square (34).
“I only see the roof of the Empire State building,” he clung as he stood behind a metal barricade with his friend at the corner of 34th Street and Eighth Avenue.
Last year, more than 3.5 million enthusiastic parade observers lined the 2.5-mile road from the Upper West Side to Herald Square.
But to keep people safe amid the pandemic, this year’s parade was a deeply compressed live event made for TV – just a block away in front of the iconic department store’s Herald Square headquarters.
To avoid attracting the crowd, viewers recorded some of what they saw on television on Thursday morning at all, not live.
Macy’s parade officials said most of the balloons seen on television were parades of previous NBC broadcasts.
Exceptions are Macy’s “Stars,” the “Love Flies to the Sky” balloon by contemporary Japanese artist Yayoi Kasuyma, and the “Boss Baby” balloon, which features a cute, business-like film character.
A fourth balloon debuted this year is the wrapped and crusaded “Red Titan” in the popular internet series “Ryan’s World”.
They also pre-recorded Dolly Parton’s performances, which sang “Holly Jolly Christmas,” Darlene Love’s “Marshmallow World,” and Patti LaBelle, who titled “The Most Amazing Season of the Year”.
Viewers of the television show were also expected to perform some pre-recorded Broadway performances, including “Ain’t To Proud – The Live and the Times of the Temptations,” “Mean Girls,” “Hamilton,” and “Jagged Little Pill.” lectures. “
The number of live participants fell by 88 percent, Variety reported.
Only clowns, orchestra members, swimmers, and balloons were invited from New York’s three-state territory to reduce travel — and everyone who marched wore a mask and was required to maintain social distance.
It didn’t leave enough live viewers to really make eyes.
“We left the apartment so my 4-year-old son could see the swimmers,” said 42-year-old Ben Messina.
“Last year, my family went to the parade, so we have at least one happy memory,” said 36th Street and Eighth Avenue.
“I don’t think New York wants too many spectators,” sighed another frustrated spectator, Meghan Macklin, 42, a Philadelphia health worker.
Chalk by 2020, he said.
“Personally, there were no swimmers, everything was pre-recorded, different from what you see on TV,” she growled. “Disappointing.”
Meanwhile, of the millions of people who watched from the comfort of their living rooms, there was much praise from Twitter.
“I already love the grinning musical and I want to be in it” announced one of the Twitter users.
Of course, there were still critics among the television audience, including the viewer’s 6-year-old son, Jennifer Churchill.
“This is my 6-year-old’s first Macy’s Day parade and it doesn’t affect her,” she tweeted.
– Mom, it’s just a lot of commercials. Whoever shows this to all the commercials has to be locked in a bathroom … for a year.
