Early parades let the balloons go at the end, and anyone who brought one back to Macy's got a prize. Every balloon from the 1931 parade was eventually returned except one. The Blue Hippopotamus was last seen floating past the Empire State Building. Macy's centennial announcement says the hippo is coming back for the 2026 parade, 95 years later.
The hippo is a good guide to this year's parade. For the 100th march, Macy's has filled the lineup with characters from its own past. On Central Park West, those characters show up a day early. Inflation is Wednesday, November 25, in the blocks around the American Museum of Natural History, a full day before the Thursday broadcast. For anyone living between 72nd and 86th Streets, the centennial starts there.
A Lineup Pulled From the Parade's Own History
Macy's says the 100th parade will have a record 100 inflatable elements. For comparison, West Side Rag counted 34 balloons and 28 floats in the 2025 parade. The two figures count different things, since Macy's tally includes inflatables of every type. Even so, 2026 is clearly planned as a bigger year. Most of the headline names are returns:
- Felix the Cat. In 1927 he became the parade's first character balloon. Volunteers carried him on sticks, because helium balloons didn't arrive until the next year. His current version debuted at the 90th parade in 2016.
- Underdog. A redesigned version flies for the first time since 1984.
- The Blue Hippopotamus. Gone since 1931. Macy's says it will share more participation details later.
- Macy's All-Stars float. It brings back Bullwinkle J. Moose, Olive Oyl, Popeye, Swee'Pea and Sonic the Hedgehog as a mix of inflatable and costumed characters.
- Tony Sarg's Amazing Marionettes. A new float honoring the artist behind the parade's signature elements, with re-creations of his original characters and a puppet version of Sarg himself.
New characters are in the mix too: the brand-new Disney's Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey, plus newcomers Billie Brightpaw and Tom Jr., son of Tom Turkey. The official lineup page also lists Joe Cool & Woodstock among the giant balloons.
All of these balloons get filled on the side streets by the museum. On Thursday a TV audience sees them pass for a few seconds each. On Wednesday afternoon you can watch them slowly fill up a few blocks from home.
Wednesday Is Confirmed. The Rules Are Not, Yet.
As of this week, some details are official and some are still pending. The city's event listing sets inflation for Wednesday, November 25, 2026, from 1 to 6 p.m., "in areas surrounding the Museum of Natural History." Entry is at West 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue. On its parade FAQ, Macy's confirms the balloons will be prepared on the Upper West Side that day. It says public-access details will come later, and that the NYPD manages public viewing.
| Detail | Status for 2026 | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|
| Inflation date and hours | Confirmed | Wed., Nov. 25, 1 to 6 p.m. |
| Public entry point | Confirmed by the city | West 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue |
| Parade date and hours | Confirmed by the city | Thu., Nov. 26, 8:30 a.m. to noon |
| Exit point and float viewing | Not yet announced | 2025: exit at 81st and CPW, floats between 81st and 86th |
| Street closures | Not yet announced | 2025 pattern described below |
| Prohibited items | Not yet announced by Macy's | 2025 list described below |
The museum's surroundings won't hold any surprises this year. The Theodore Roosevelt Park renewal around the museum was a 2015 to 2023 project, according to landscape architects Reed Hilderbrand, so the inflation blocks are the finished park, not a construction zone.
How Last Year's Week Rolled Across the Blocks
Until the 2026 closure schedule comes out, 2025 is the best preview of how the week tends to go on Central Park West. Treat every detail below as last year's pattern, not this year's plan.
- Early Wednesday, CPW shuts down. The city's 2025 closure notice closed Central Park West from West 72nd to 86th Streets starting at 2 a.m. Wednesday. It also noted the NYPD could change closures as needed. West Side Rag reported a midnight start, so the two 2025 sources differ by a couple of hours.
- The side streets go with it. According to West Side Rag, West 72nd through 85th Streets between Central Park West and Columbus closed early Wednesday, and the 79th Street Transverse in Central Park closed from 2 a.m. Wednesday through noon Thursday.
- Noon Wednesday, the line opens. West Side Rag said the line formed at noon for 1 p.m. viewing. Visitors entered at 72nd and Columbus, walked up Central Park West to 77th, turned west, and continued along Columbus to 81st.
- Late afternoon, the crowd heads north. Visitors left at West 81st Street and Central Park West, then walked north to see floats being assembled between 81st and 86th Streets.
- Thursday afternoon, the avenue reopens. The city's notice kept CPW closed through 3 p.m. Thursday. West Side Rag gave noon.
Last year the event was free, needed no ticket and went ahead rain or shine. The prohibited list included umbrellas, backpacks, large bags, chairs, alcohol, drones and e-cigarettes. West Side Rag named the B and C station at 72nd Street and Central Park West as the closest subway stop to the entrance. A Mommy Poppins family guide updated in October 2026 lists similar restrictions, plus coolers, pets and bags over 12 by 6 by 12 inches. Macy's hasn't issued its own 2026 list yet.
For 2026 closures, the city's event page links to the NYC Street Closure Map and to DOT's weekly traffic advisories. If you have a Wednesday delivery, a car to move or guests arriving by taxi, the closure map is the place to check in the week before Thanksgiving.
Thursday Starts at 77th Street
By Thursday morning the balloons inflated the day before are ready a few blocks away. The parade runs from 8:30 a.m. to noon on November 26. The city's listing still says to check back for route information. The Central Park event guide, updated in late October, gives the familiar route. It starts at West 77th Street and Central Park West and heads south on CPW to Columbus Circle. From there it runs along Central Park South, down Sixth Avenue, and west on 34th Street to Herald Square. Macy's hasn't confirmed that route for 2026, but it matches the setup of the 2025 closures.
That puts Central Park West at the very start of the parade. Bands, floats and the 100 inflatables are all at full strength there, before the trip down Sixth Avenue. Macy's FAQ says public viewing along the route is managed by the NYPD, with details still to come.
A Centennial Detour, Monday Night
If you want more Tony Sarg before his float rolls down your avenue, the National Arts Club has an in-person program on Monday, November 23, at 6:30 p.m. It includes storytelling, historic photographs and a marionette demonstration. That's two days before the inflation, so you'd see the original work before the re-creations go up by the museum.
For the backstory on the rest of the lineup, Let's Have a Parade: Celebrating 100 Macy's Parades, Macy's commemorative retrospective, came out on October 6. Simon & Schuster lists it with photographs and behind-the-scenes stories from a century of parades. If you remember the New York Historical's parade exhibition, it closed on January 5, 2025, after opening in September 2024.
Inflation is Wednesday, November 25, from 1 to 6 p.m., with entry at 72nd and Columbus. The Blue Hippopotamus is due back this year after 95 years away.
If you have family flying in for the centennial and you're wondering how to plan around the closures, or you're a landlord with tenants on the inflation blocks who'd like a quick heads-up before Wednesday, we know these streets well. Reach out to Chana Ofek and we'll gladly help you map out the week. Let's Connect.
