Macy's Balloon Inflation 2026: The Best Part of the Parade

The Macy’s balloons are inflated on Wednesday, November 25, 2026, the day before the parade, around the American Museum of Natural History. It’s free, with no tickets. Last year the public could walk through from 1pm to 6pm, with the line opening at noon at 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue.

This is the best part of Thanksgiving in New York, and plenty of locals would take it over the parade. You walk right past giant balloons lying on the street under nets, close enough to see the stitching, without a 6am alarm.

The short answer

• When: Wednesday, November 25. Go early in the viewing window for the shortest line, or later for balloons that are fully inflated.
• Where: enter at West 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue. The balloons are on the streets around the museum, 77th to 81st Street.
• Cost: free.
• Bring: nothing big. Bags and umbrellas get turned away.

How it works

The balloons are laid out on the side streets around the American Museum of Natural History, between 77th and 81st Street, from Columbus Avenue to Central Park West. Crews fill them with helium through the day and pin them down under nets and sandbags for the night.

The public walks a one-way route. Last year:

• Entry was a security checkpoint at West 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue.
• You walked north along Columbus Avenue, past the balloons on the cross streets.
• The route continued north past the parade floats, and exited between 82nd and 86th Street.

Police keep the line moving. You can stop for photos, but you can’t camp in one spot.

When to go

Early in the window means a shorter line, and balloons still taking shape. There’s something great about a half-inflated Snoopy with his face on the pavement.

Later in the afternoon means the balloons are fuller and more recognizable, and the line is longer. As it gets dark, the lines can stretch for blocks.

Weekday afternoon or not, it’s the day before Thanksgiving, so expect a crowd whenever you go. It happens rain or shine.

What you can’t bring

Last year, umbrellas, backpacks, large bags, chairs, alcohol, drones and e-cigarettes weren’t allowed. Everyone goes through security. Pack light, and bring a rain jacket instead of an umbrella.

Strollers make the crowd much harder to move through. A carrier is easier if you have little kids.

Getting there

• Subway: the B or C to 72 St, on Central Park West, then walk one block west to Columbus Avenue. Or the 1, 2 or 3 to 72 St on Broadway, then walk east.
• Don’t drive. Central Park West and the cross streets around the museum close to traffic from the early hours of Wednesday until noon on Thursday.

Inflation, the parade, or both?

• Both if you have kids and the energy. Wednesday afternoon for the balloons up close, Thursday morning for them in the air.
• Just the inflation if you want the best part without standing in the cold from 6am. Watch the parade on TV the next morning.
• Just the parade if you only have Thursday. Our Macy’s parade guide has where to stand for the 100th.

Make an afternoon of it

The inflation is on the Upper West Side, right on Central Park. Walk into the park afterward before it gets dark, or eat nearby before the line.

For everything else happening that week, see things to do in NYC in November 2026.

Check before you go

Macy’s confirms the details in November. Before you go:

• The official 2026 viewing hours and entrance
• The list of prohibited items
• The weather, and dress for it

The rest of the season

New York from late October to early December, in order:

• NYC fall foliage 2026: when it peaks and where to go
• NYC Marathon 2026 spectator guide: where to watch on November 1
• NYC Christmas markets 2026: which to go to, and when each opens
• Rockefeller tree lighting 2026: December 2, and how to see it without the crowd

Questions about anything in this guide? Reach MUSEENYC at museenyc.art@gmail.com or @museenyc on Instagram.

The best part of the parade happens the day before → museenyc.com