Watch live: Thanksgiving balloons spring to life for Macy’s parade

Watch live as Thanksgiving balloons are inflated on Wednesday, 22 November, before floating through New York City for Thursday’s Macy’s parade.

Twenty-five balloons will be on display through the streets of the city, including a Beagle Scout Snoopy and a Pikachu.

The parade will also feature 31 floats, 18 celebrities, 11 marching bands, and six “balloonicles,” Macy’s said.

The first Macy’s parade was held in 1924 when New York City store employees put on a show in the hope that it would inspire people to shop - it even included live animals in the show.

Inflatable characters were introduced in 1927 when artist and puppeteer Tony Sarg designed a Felix the Cat balloon.

Tomorrow’s events will start at 8.30am ET and end around noon.

The route will run south from West 77th Street & Central Park West on the Upper West Side to Macy’s Herald Square in the Garment District.