Thanksgiving parade features Rockettes, massive balloons

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Gigantic balloons floated down New York's streets for the 85th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday (November 24), drawing huge crowds to sidewalks and an even bigger audience to television sets.
Parade organizers said 50 million TV viewers were expected to watch the enormous helium balloons shaped like Mickey Mouse, Snoopy, Spiderman and other beloved characters towed from Central Park to Herald Square in midtown Manhattan.
Offbeat new additions in the parade's 85th year included designer Paul Frank's sock monkey "Julius" and film director Tim Burton's "B. Boy" a young boy stitched from discarded birthday balloons.
Children and adults jammed sidewalks and side streets to watch the 8,000 people who participated in the parade.
The star of the show was reserved for the end - Santa Claus closed the parade in a burst of confetti, drawing cheers from the crowds as he passed by, dancing and waving to spectators. The show included 11 marching bands, 800 clowns, 1,600 cheerleaders, dancers and singers, crews manning 27 floats and handlers for 15 giant balloons and 44 other mid-sized balloons, parade organizers said.