Huge crowd, boring Mariah Carey and Biden's embarrassment: how the Macy's Thanksgiving parade went

On November 24, crowds of New Yorkers and tourists lined the streets of downtown New York to watch the 96th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The tradition is already almost 100 years old, and it still attracts thousands of spectators.

The action kicked off at 77th Street and Central Park West at 9:00 a.m. to cheers from onlookers expecting huge balloons in the shape of their favorite cartoon characters.

The Macy's Parade marks the official start of the holiday season for many. And this is not surprising, because the procession is traditionally closed by none other than Santa Claus.

Today at the parade before the release of Santa appeared "Queen of Christmas" Mariah Carey. The superstar wore a hot pink dress and a jeweled crown. She performed her holiday hit "All I Want for Christmas Is You". The crowd joyfully greeted the artist, although there were those who сказалthat Mariah Carey did not give 100%. At the same time, many impressed the work of her backup dancer.

But not everything went smoothly

Spectators watching the parade on TV had to miss part of the event due to U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden appearing unable to hear the NBC anchor during a video call. This is also a tradition - America's first couple calls NBC during the parade to congratulate the country on Thanksgiving. But this time they called the studio and continued to talk among themselves.

"Can you hear me, Mr. President?" the host asked for about 30 seconds, while Joe Biden said something to the first lady and did not react to the journalist.

"We are here!" - in the end, laughing, the head of state announced.

After this hitch and congratulations from the president, the broadcast of the parade continued without incident.

On the subject: Top 25 Fun Facts About Macy's Thanksgiving Parade

This year's parade featured 16 giant balloons, 28 floats, 12 marching bands, 700 clowns, 10 bands and a host of music stars. The parade was organized thanks to the work of more than 5000 volunteers.

You can watch the event in full in the video ⇓