The first Macy's parade, in 1924, started at 145th Street. Macy's employees marched in costume alongside clowns, bands, floats themed on nursery rhymes, and animals borrowed from the Central Park Zoo. The route ended at the store's 34th Street entrance, where Santa unveiled the Christmas windows. A few years later the zoo animals were retired and balloons took their place. According to NYC Tourism's history of the parade, the starting line stayed in Harlem until 1945. Business Insider's history of the parade puts the start at West 77th Street and Central Park West since 1945.
The parade has started there ever since, and that's why the week of November 23 belongs to the Upper West Side. The 100th parade steps off on Thursday, November 26. The balloons are inflated the afternoon before on the side streets next to the American Museum of Natural History and The New York Historical. On that Wednesday, getting into those blocks depends on which institution's checkpoint you use, and each one runs its own entrance on its own schedule. The best parts of the centennial for people who live nearby take place in the days before the barricades go up.
Why 2026 Is the 100th, Not the 103rd
The math confuses people. The first parade was in 1924, which would make 2026 the 103rd year. But The New York Historical notes that the parade has run every year except 1942 through 1944, when helium and rubber were needed for the war effort. Take away those three years and this November's parade is the 100th.
The museum also explains why it's the right place to start. The current route begins just outside its entrance on Central Park West, and balloons are inflated alongside the building on 77th Street. Inflation day has a long history here as well. West Side Rag described it as a neighborhood Thanksgiving Eve ritual "since at least the 1970s," with crews laying out balloons on West 77th and 81st Streets.
The Centennial Is Already on the Wall at 77th Street
The New York Historical opened a centennial installation, Macy's 100th Thanksgiving Day Parade, on October 23. It runs through January 17, 2027, on the first-floor Leah & Michael Weisberg Monumental Treasures Wall. Emily Pazar, the museum's assistant curator of decorative arts and material culture, put it together from depictions of the parade in the museum's collections. It also includes event materials from Amy Kule, the parade's longtime executive producer, and Bruce Helander's Macy's Mickey Mouse, ca. 1934.
That Mickey pairs well with this year's lineup. Macy's lists Disney's Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey as a new balloon for 2026, so you can see a Depression-era Mickey on the wall at 77th Street a few weeks before a new one goes up on the same block. If you go before Thanksgiving week, the museum is just a museum, with general admission tickets and no wristbands or barricades.
Three Doors Into the Same Two Blocks
On Wednesday, November 25, access sorts by institution. Here is how each one says to get in:
| Who you are | Where you enter | Hours | What you can reach |
|---|---|---|---|
| General public | West 72nd Street, per the City | 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. | Inflation areas around the Museum of Natural History |
| New York Historical member, Family level and up, with a wristband | NYPD barricade at 76th Street and Columbus Avenue | Noon to 5 p.m., timed entry hourly from noon to 4 p.m. | Balloons on 77th Street, plus the galleries |
| American Museum of Natural History visitor | Central Park West entrances only | Regular museum day, with the garage closed | The museum, not the inflation zone |
The general public entrance is the one most neighbors will use. The City's event listing sets inflation for November 25 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. and points visitors to an entrance at 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue. The New York Historical's member FAQ describes the general public access point as 72nd Street and Central Park West. Either way, the line starts at 72nd Street, and Macy's says it will post public-access details for inflation on its parade FAQ page. That page is worth checking the morning of.
The member door is smaller and already full. The New York Historical's Thanksgiving Eve Balloon Viewing is sold out, with a waitlist for active members. Family-level members can reserve up to four tickets, and Friend-level members and above up to six. According to the museum's event FAQ, wristbands arrive by mail, and every attendee needs one, infants included. Members can also pick them up at the museum if the mail runs late. The FAQ also limits what members can see:
"Our Thanksgiving Eve Event will only give you access to the balloons inflated on 77th street. To view the other balloons, you will need to exit the Museum and make your way to the general public access point at 72nd Street and Central Park West."
So even the members' wristband covers only one of the two inflation streets. The FAQ says Macy's will inflate along 77th and 81st Streets and possibly other parts of the Upper West Side. Inside, the galleries stay open, including the DiMenna Children's History Museum on the lower level and Holiday Express: Toys and Trains from the Jerni Collection. Refreshments run until 4:30 p.m. or until they're gone. Strollers are allowed, but stroller parking is limited and there's no coat check. If you need the accessible entrance, the museum will bring you in via the ramp at its 77th Street entrance.
The natural history museum's door matters most for anyone with plans unrelated to balloons. The AMNH holiday visit page says streets around the building will be closed on November 25. The parking garage closes too, visitors must use the Central Park West entrances, and subway service may be affected.
According to the New York Historical FAQ, sidewalk access on 77th Street opens after 5 p.m., once the museum closes. The City's public window runs until 6 p.m., so the 77th Street side gets a second, more open hour at the end of the day.
The Calendar Favors the Days Before
The barricades go up Wednesday, so the easiest centennial week is the one that starts earlier:
- Now through January 17, 2027. See the parade installation at The New York Historical with a regular admission ticket.
- Monday, November 23. The Origami Holiday Tree opens to the public at the American Museum of Natural History. The museum names Monday or Tuesday, November 24, as the days with the best availability.
- Wednesday, November 25. Inflation runs from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. under the City's listing, with the streets and the AMNH garage closed. The New York Historical recommends public transit and suggests the B or C train to 72nd Street for its members, since roads are blocked for the inflation and the parade.
- Thursday, November 26. The parade runs from 8:30 a.m. to noon, and the American Museum of Natural History is closed for Thanksgiving.
Monday and Tuesday are when the neighborhood's two museums are open, the holiday programming has started, and getting in doesn't depend on which barricade you're standing at.
Thursday Morning, Two Blocks From the Start
The parade covers a 2.5-mile route and ends at Macy's Herald Square flagship. Macy's says public viewing is available along designated portions of the route and is managed by the NYPD. The limited grandstand seating isn't open to the general public, and those tickets aren't for sale. Macy's is advertising 100 inflatables for the 100th edition.
Several of them are new this year. Along with Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey, Macy's calls Buckaroo Bob the Minion a new parade balloon. Sanrio's October announcement, carried by StreetInsider, says Hello Kitty returns as a brand-new giant balloon holding a red apple. CBS New York reported a new Snoopy balloon featuring Joe Cool and Woodstock for the centennial.
The featured balloons are prepared on the Upper West Side on Wednesday, November 25, the day before they fly. For subway changes on parade morning, check mta.info, the source the American Museum of Natural History points its own visitors to.
Living a block or two from the starting line affects more than one week in November. It means street closures and checkpoints between you and your own front door. If you're weighing an Upper West Side co-op near the route, or getting ready to sell one, Brooklyn Brownstone Sales can go through what that location means for value and day-to-day logistics. Schedule a complimentary, no-pressure market consultation with Steve.
