1. Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Up from #2
New York
A holiday-season staple, Macy’s 96th annual parade welcomed nearly 3 million spectators who lined the streets of the event’s signature 2.5-mile route. Sixteen giant character balloons, 28 floats, 40 novelty and heritage inflatables, 700-plus clowns, 12 marching bands, 10 performance groups, and much more all made their way from Central Park West to Columbus Circle. The three-hour NBC morning special, afternoon encore, digital viewership, as well as streaming on Peacock, brought in a total of 27.7 million viewers—topping last year’s broadcast and tallying the most viewers in five years. New this year, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade could be experienced in the metaverse, where the event’s fans could view virtual galleries from five NFT projects and then vote for their favorite. The design that received the highest number of votes will be turned into an actual balloon at the 2023 parade. Next: Nov. 23, 2023
Photo: Courtesy of Macy's