Posted in: NBC, Peacock, TV | Tagged: macy's thanksgiving day parade
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 2025 Floats & Balloons Preview (VIDEO)
Here's a look at the new and returning floats and balloons for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, hitting NBC and Peacock on November 27th.
With the Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, and Al Roker-hosted Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade set to hit NBC and Peacock at 8:30 am on November 27th, we've been treated to a number of big reveals of new floats and balloons – including Buzz Lightyear, Super Mario, KPop Demon Hunters, and Stranger Things 5. But now, we're getting our best looks yet at this year's new and returning floats, and we have those waiting for you above and below.

Here's a look at more local NYC news coverage of the floats for this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, followed by previous announcements about new balloons and floats:
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 2025: Previous Updates
Earlier today, we learned that Netflix and Matt & Ross Duffer's Stranger Things 5 would have a float representing the streaming series, a day after the first volume of the final season drops. Spotlighting the Hawkins National Laboratory, the float will feature a containment device with an eight-and-a-half-foot-tall Demogorgon puppet and include lighting and smoke effects (with easter eggs from the series throughout).

Previously, the streaming service rolled out a preview of the Derpy Tiger (full-size) and Sussie (balloonicle) balloons representing KPop Demon Hunters, which will be part of the hit streaming film's float. Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami, the singing voices behind the fictional K-pop group Huntr/X, will be performing and aboard the float during the parade's run.

Here's a look at the KPop Demon Hunters balloon being inflated and officially revealed, followed by a look at some other familiar faces we're going to see along the parade route:
Last month, Nintendo of America and Macy's announced that a new Mario featured character balloon would make its debut, releasing a 3D model rendering of the new balloon. Set to honor the 40th anniversary of the original Super Mario Bros. game, which first launched in Japan in 1985, the balloon was created by Macy's Parade Studio's team of artists in partnership with Nintendo of America. Clad in his classic blue overalls and signature red cap and striking a flying pose inspired by the game Super Mario Galaxy, Mario comes in at 51-feet and 2-inches long, 37-feet wide, and 43-feet and 8-inches tall.

Over the summer, during Destination Disney, it was announced that the Buzz Lightyear balloon would be back in a very big way to represent the 30th anniversary of Pixar's first Toy Story. Here's a look at the announcement that went out back in August.
In 2024, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was the top show of the holiday season and delivered its biggest audience on record with 31.7 million total viewers across NBC and Peacock—that's an 11% increase compared to 2023. This makes 2024 the fourth year in a row that the parade was the most-watched entertainment show on linear. In addition, the 2024 parade was the top Spanish-language TV program in its timeslot on Telemundo for the third consecutive year. As for the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks, the live 2024 special drew 7.6 million viewers across all platforms – marking a three-year ratings high.







