Inflation IS real and it takes place in NYC a day before Thanksgiving - post by maxyourtravel.com

During our last trip to NYC at Thanksgiving, while doing my research on the Macy's Parade I came across articles that talked about viewing inflating of balloons the day before the parade. It turns out this inflation is a real phenomenon just like the other, fiscal one we've become all too accustomed to these days but this one makes only one annual appearance making it must see when visiting NYC during this festive time of the year.

2023 UDATE

On the eve of Thanksgiving, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Balloon Inflation will once again unfold in the streets surrounding the American Museum of Natural History. This year's inflation is scheduled for Wednesday, November 22, 2023, from noon to 6 pm.

To partake in the Balloon Inflation spectacle, entry can be accessed at 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue. From there, visitors can embark eastward to Central Park West, then proceed northward to 77th Street. The route continues north on Central Park West, offering a glimpse of floats being constructed on the side streets around 86th Street.

Please check the exact guidelines but you are most likely not allowed to bring chairs, large backpacks, coolers or alcoholic drinks.

THE WHY Our last trip to NYC we decided to go see this event along with the actual parade, since we weren't sure how good of a parade viewing spot, we would be able to get the next day. Our parade experience turned out to be way better than expected but that is another story you can read more about here. The inflation sounded like a great opportunity to get our kiddos up close to the floats so there wasn’t a whole lot of hesitation about attempting to check it out even though we were not sure how crowded this event would be. We did wonder how the kids will do since as opposed to the static, from the viewers perspective parade this event requires quite a bit of walking. We made sure to set those expectations with our children to at least minimize any after effects of a longer trek plus we brought a stroller allowing at least one of the to rest or sleep a bit (as you can see below lol) when needed.

LOCATION

While the location of the inflation, just like the parade is subject to some changes each year (typically 72nd, 73rd street), those are usually slight variations so the same general area that is typically used to make the floats come to life.

While this may not be a usual experience when we made our way up to entrance to our surprise this area, which we expected to be very crowded wasn’t as terribly populated and we quickly realized the whole thing was also very well organized.

The balloon inflation takes place around the Museum of Natural History the crowds entered at Columbus Street and were funneled through a series of barricaded walkways along the 73rd Street after passing security. I read what we found to be a very good tip that getting there around 1pm or anytime between 1 and 3pm is optimal though you may see some balloons not yet inflated. We got there around 2pm and we found majority of them in their fully aired up state. If you get there and seem overwhelmed by the crowds give it a little patience since after passing the security checks the crowdedness dissipates as everyone moves along the multiple designated lanes guiding them along day inflation area.

LOGISTICS

After passing through the series of the barricaded pathways, when you first enter the Inflation zone we saw some bottle necked crowds once again but those too gave way pretty quickly. To be honest I don't remember being overwhelmed by the crowd at any point but that's probably because we were so excited and wowed by catching a first few glimpses of the floats realizing how close we were about to get to them. It's only now, looking back at the photos that I see the crowd was probably a bit larger at first then I remember but again that didn't last long.

You might be wondering what it’s like checking out the inflation with small kids and a stroller. I have to admit that before we visited, I read some articles advising against it but we had no issues what so ever and would bring a stroller again in a heartbeat, not just for our not yet reliable (when it comes to exploring on foot) kiddos but also because it often serves as a handy way to store some of our stuff or shopping items. Although there are some drawbacks to bringing it like your toddler sleeping through a good chunk of whatever attraction you bring them too lol. It's okay, her brother and parents more than made up with enjoyment for what she missed.

Another tip I read about was hanging out at the museum prior to the event for an easier way to enter. We didn’t have to do this but I can see how that would be a great solution if there truly are more folks viewing, since crowds are obviously very difficult to anticipate.

Keep in mind that one of the main benefits is the fact that this a perfect way to get a taste of the NYC Thanksgiving spirit if you don’t what to have to get up early in the morning to save a good parade spot, especially since we know what’s it’s like to get those kiddos ready on time in the early a.m. on while in vacation mode. Trust me, your kids will probably be even more excited seeing their favorite characters literally steps away from them.

DAY PLANNING

The whole balloon viewing escapade took us a couple of hours with plenty of stops for photos of course so I don’t think you really need to plan to bring any food with you, maybe some snacks for kids. It’s much better to stop by a nearby restaurant on the way back which is exactly what we did and who knows, you may run into some celebrities at the same time since many of them either reside in NYC or come visit during this time. We had the fortune, on this same trip of dining in an area Italian establishment next to Elizabeth Moss but while extremely tempted to get a photo proof decided to leave her and her family undisturbed. How cool is that though? Perfect example of what other pleasant surprises you may run into while on your NYC Thanksgiving trip.

Our recommendation, if you and your kiddos are up to it of course is to plan a whole day around the inflation, complete with a visit to Natural History Museum, the Central Park and any of the great NYC restaurants in this area. But you should be totally fine setting aside a couple of hours just to see the balloons wake up from their yearlong hibernation especially if you’re staying anywhere in the upper Manhattan area.

IMPRESSIONS

It's hard to say which we liked better, the parade or the inflation celebration but In some ways the latter is almost a better experience permitting you to give all of the floats their proper viewing due. Your kids will thank you for getting an opportunity to get up close and (somewhat) personal with their favorite characters and if they see them floating by the next day it’s like giving them an early Christmas present in form a true one-of-a-kind Thanksgiving encounter. You will truly appreciate the effort it takes to get these enormous floating characters ready for their big show the next day. Entire crews of multiple workers literally, though not personally of course but with help of special machines breathe life into each oversized persona.

It’s interesting to see what it takes to hold the floats down, attached close to the ground with giant nets. I also found very fascinating how seemingly small sized are the bins that hold each balloon and immediately started wondering if that’s the means of their regular, year-round storage as well as where this storage is actually located. What about their prep and repairs? Each year introduces some new characters but many are reused so they have to be properly maintained.

Then there were our kids questions like what if you need to patch up a hole in one of these giants? Is that possible and if so, what does it take? Who decides what characters are going to be in the parade and can they have some input for next year lol.

As you can see even after having gone through this experience there seem to be more questions than answers but hopefully, I’ve given you at least some tips on planning your inflation viewing experience. As to those queries I will leave them open for both you and our kids until your or our next visit since there is no question there will be one as soon as possible. I'll wrap up with a few more of our many photos from the Inflation afternoon hoping they and the rest of this post will convince you this an attraction truly worthy of making your future travel list.

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