Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade: New balloons and KPop Demon Hunters.

13 hours ago7 min read4 comments

Get ready, pop culture fam, because this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is about to serve a full-course meal of iconic moments, and the main course is a piping hot fusion of two 2024's biggest obsessions taking over the streets of New York. Imagine this: the sky above Manhattan’s Upper West Side, usually a canvas of grey November, will be absolutely dominated by the colossal, cheerful faces of Labubu, the viral plushy that broke the internet, and the fierce, fantasy-driven characters from Netflix's summer smash, *KPop Demon Hunters*.This isn't just a parade; it's a floating, marching, high-kicking museum of this year's cultural zeitgeist. The convergence is pure magic—Labubu, with its mischievous grin, became an unexpected hero in a year craving whimsy, while *KPop Demon Hunters* didn't just drop a show; it detonated a global phenomenon, creating a fandom so intense it's reshaping Halloween costumes, music charts, and now, Thanksgiving traditions.The fact that Hoda Kotb, a parade hosting legend, openly admits her youngest daughter is more obsessed with the *KPop Demon Hunters* crew than with Taylor Swift? That’s a cultural power shift you can’t ignore. It speaks to the show's unprecedented grip on Gen Z and Alpha, a level of engagement that makes last year's viral trends look almost quaint.Beyond the headline-grabbing balloons, the lineup is a masterclass in eclectic entertainment, carefully curated to have something for every screen in the living room. You've got Conan Gray and Lainey Wilson bringing the singer-songwriter vibes, while the fictional-but-now-very-real girl group HUNTR/X—featuring Audrey Nuna, EJAE, and Rei Ami—will make their live performance debut, a meta moment blurring the lines between Netflix narrative and real-world spectacle.They’ll share the stage with legends like Busta Rhymes and Kool & the Gang, creating a generational bridge set to the soundtrack of Herald Square. And let's talk about those new balloons! Buzz Lightyear, Pac-Man, and Mario are the classic heavyweights, but the 32-foot-tall onion carriage from *Shrek* is a deep-cut dream, and the inclusion of *KPop Demon Hunters*' Derpy Tiger and Sussie confirms the franchise's meteoric rise from streaming hit to American institution.On the ground, the new Pop Mart float is a pastel-colored parade within the parade, a rolling art gallery of Labubu, Skullpanda, and Dimoo that will have collectors screaming louder than for Santa himself. Even the snacks are getting in on the action with Goldfish's adorably tiny float.With over 31 million viewers tuning in last year—a record-breaking audience—the pressure is on for this broadcast to deliver, and the producers have clearly stacked the deck. From the Broadway energy of *Ragtime* to the athletic grace of figure skater Ilia Malinin and the timeless precision of the Radio City Rockettes, every block of this two-and-a-half-hour spectacle is designed for maximum shareability. In an era of fragmented viewership, the Macy's Parade remains a rare communal event, and this year, it’s weaponizing the year’s biggest pop culture explosions to ensure its place not just as a holiday tradition, but as a definitive record of what mattered most in 2024.

#Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

#KPop Demon Hunters

#Labubu

#new balloons

#musical performances

#featured

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