Thousands of people made their way to the Upper West Side on Wednesday to get a glimpse of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons. The beloved balloon inflation event—which was cancelled in 2020—returned with a vaccination requirement for all adults this year (children were allowed with vaccinated adults), along with a request that everyone remain masked.

This year, the parade will resume its 2.5 mile route form the Upper West Side to Midtown (last year the event was concentrated around Macy's flagship store at Herald Square). For some participants, it's been a two-year odyssey—Macy's had selected the 2020 marching bands in the spring of 2019, but since the pandemic upended last year's parade, the retailer invited all the bands to participate this year, and they all accepted.

"We're here because my niece—her daughter—is going to be in the parade!" Kandice Wright said, standing next to her sister, Karla Leef. Leef's daughter Imani is a dancer with Hampton University's Ebony Fire dance team, and the sisters traveled from North Carolina to see her perform.

"We're trying to enjoy every aspect of the parade," Leef said. "Since we were children this has been a dream of our family's to come to Macy's - and I did tell my daughter, thank you for being born, for giving our family the opportunity to have this experience."

"For 95 years, the Macy's parade has shown up on the streets of New York City and brought a little bit of joy, a little bit of spectacle, created an opportunity for all New Yorkers and everyone around the country to sit back and enjoy each other, enjoy a little bit of entertainment, and celebrate positive energy on a special day like Thanksgiving," the parade's executive producer Will Coss said. "I'm a native New Yorker... it's a thrill and honor for me to be here."

He proudly pointed out that all the elements that people will see on the parade route "are fabricated and crafted by our artisans and designers, our costume team, at the parade studios. We develop from sketch to final execution that shows up... all in-house."

In addition to returning balloons like the Pillsbury Doughboy, Spongebob Squarepants, and Greg from Diary of a Wimpy Kid, there's the new Baby Yoda balloon, Ada Twist Scientist, and a new Pikachu balloon with Eevee.

Gwen Elliott, of Jackson Ohio, was guiding her three children, Sammy, 10; Bodie, 8; and Gabe, 8 along West 72nd Street towards the balloons, and it was just one of many city sights they were enjoying. "This is the kids' first time here" in New York City, she said. "Statue of Liberty, Top of the Rock, skating at Rockefeller Center, Central Park carriage ride, St. Patrick's Cathedral—so we're trying to get in as much as possible."

Sammy said she wanted to see Snoopy, while Gabe wanted to see Santa's sleigh during the parade itself. The family will have a front row window to the parade: They got a room on 6th Avenue, at the Hilton, where they'll be able to see the parade pass by.

The event is not just for tourists. Florence Rubenfeld, an Upper West Sider, said she and her husband have been going for the past 40 years.

"I think it's the most wholesome, all-American we do in Manhattan," she said.

The balloon inflation is open to the public until 6 p.m. on Wednesday. The parade starts at 9 a.m. on Thursday, along Central Park West, Central Park South, and 6th Avenue (more details here) and is televised on NBC.

Planning for the 2022 parade begins on Friday, Coss said.