Macy’s famous Thanksgiving Day Parade will go on this year amid the coronavirus pandemic, but only in TV land, reports USAToday.
This year’s event will also have less workers — from around 8,000 last year to less than 2,000 this year — and production will be staged in one area of New York City, not along the traditional 2.5-mile parade route.
Some segments will be filmed on Wednesday and the remainder will be live.
“For New Yorkers who typically see it live and in person, this change for them is that they are going to experience it the same way the rest of the country experiences it," Susan Tercero, executive producer of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, told the Asbury Park Press. "But I think for the rest of country, it’s not going to be too different.
"They’re still going to see the balloons. They’re still going to see the floats. They’re still going to see Santa and Broadway and all of these elements that they’re used to seeing every single year. They’re still going to see those things. They might have some differences in that we’re going to see some social distancing. We’re going to have masks, things like that. But it’s still going to be the parade they know and love.”
The parade, now in its 94th year, is one of the most watched events on TV each year — roughly 22 million watched in 2019.
The 2.5 mile-route typically attracts 3.5 million spectators, according to Macy's.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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