Thanksgiving Parade in New York; Joe Biden Urges Americans: Be Grateful, Prevent Hostility

During the annual Thanksgiving parade at Macy's on Thursday, November 23, beloved characters like Snoopy and SpongeBob SquarePants soared through the skies of New York City. Several famous names from the entertainment world performed at the event, including Cher, the renowned American singer who recently released her first Christmas album. The cover of Cher's Christmas album was also featured in the parade, along with performances from actors of some Broadway shows. New balloons introduced this year included Leo the Lizard, a character from a Netflix animated film, standing about 12.5 meters tall. Balloons from previous years, such as SpongeBob, were also present, reaching a height of nearly 13.5 meters. Some characters, like Snoopy, have been part of the Thanksgiving parade for years, but this year, a new version of the Snoopy balloon was launched to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the character in the Peanuts comic strip. The Snoopy balloon, wearing a scout hat, was part of the 97th Thanksgiving parade. The parade was not just about the giant balloons dancing in the sky; according to the organizers, it included a procession of dozens of groups from across the country, along with several dancers and clowns among the 8,000 participants. This marks the 97th time this parade has been held since 1924. Joe Biden, the President of the United States, along with his wife Jill, spoke to NBC, which was broadcasting the Thanksgiving parade live, and told host Al Roker that people should take a moment to reflect and be grateful for living in a country that has everything. In his message to the American people, Biden said, 'We are the greatest country in the world. We need to focus on this. We need to focus on addressing our problems and preventing hostility.' At the end of the parade, Santa Claus appeared, symbolizing the arrival of the Christmas holidays.