Macy's calls this year's parade the 100th. The parade started in 1924. So why is 2026 the number, and why does the formal centennial come a year later?
On the Upper West Side, the published plans for the week are uneven. The city has posted inflation hours. The American Museum of Natural History has three new exhibits on its fall calendar, two of them opening the week before inflation. Macy's has said much less about how the public gets close to the balloons. For anyone who lives between Central Park West and Columbus, Wednesday is the day to plan around, and the museum is the most fixed part of it.
Why 2026 Is the 100th Parade and 2027 Is the Centennial
The parade did not run for three years, 1942 through 1944, because it was canceled to save materials for the military during World War II. Gothamist laid out the math in 2024. That year marked 100 years since the first parade, and the formal centennial falls in 2027. Count the parades that actually happened and 2026 is number 100. That is the count Macy's is marketing, along with a lineup of 100 inflatables.
The parade also ran in 2020, with no in-person crowds, so the streak has held since the war. On the Upper West Side, the bigger number shows up in the lineup.
The Week on One Calendar
The dates below are the ones already published. The museum's dates are the most detailed. The parade's dates give the least about access.
| Date | What happens | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Nov. 13 | Member previews begin for The Nature of Color | AMNH, Floor 3 |
| Mon., Nov. 16 | The Nature of Color opens to the public, separate ticket | AMNH, Floor 3 |
| Fri., Nov. 20 | Monumental: The 3 WatchMen and Other Works by James Hart opens, included with admission | AMNH, Northwest Coast Hall |
| Wed., Nov. 25 | Balloon inflation, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., with entry at West 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue | Streets around AMNH |
| Thu., Nov. 26 | Parade, 8:30 a.m. to noon. AMNH closed | 2.5-mile route ending at Herald Square |
AMNH lists its hours as 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily and says it is closed on Thanksgiving Day. Inflation, as posted on nyc.gov, runs from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday. That puts four and a half hours of overlap on Wednesday afternoon, when both the balloons outside and the galleries inside are open. On Thursday morning the museum is closed and the balloons have left. The museum says its hours can change and that it updates temporary closures each week. Check its page again close to the day.
What Macy's Still Hasn't Posted
As of late October, the Macy's parade FAQ confirms that the featured character balloons will be prepared on the Upper West Side on Wednesday, November 25. It also says "details regarding public access to balloon inflation will be available at a later date." The FAQ says the NYPD manages public viewing along "designated portions" of the 2.5-mile route, with more details to come. It also says grandstand seats are not open to the general public, and tickets are not sold. The city's parade listing tells readers to check back for route information.
So the only 2026 access detail on the record is the entry point at West 72nd and Columbus. Everything else people tend to assume comes from last year. Here is the 2025 pattern, useful as a reference and not yet confirmed for 2026:
- The 2025 walking route. West Side Rag's 2025 guide sent visitors from the 72nd and Columbus checkpoint up Central Park West to West 77th, west to Columbus, then up to West 81st, with the exit at West 81st and Central Park West.
- 2025 float staging. The same guide put float assembly between West 81st and 86th streets.
- 2025 street closures. The city's 2025 closure notice closed Central Park West between West 72nd and 86th streets, plus several numbered cross streets between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue, on Wednesday and Thursday.
- 2025 transit. West Side Rag named the B and C station at West 72nd Street and Central Park West as the closest stop.
The basic layout has held for a long time. A 2012 West Side Rag guide placed inflation on the blocks around the museum between West 77th and West 81st, Central Park West to Columbus. It named West 77th and Central Park West as the parade's starting point at the time. In 2017, the same outlet described inflation as a Thanksgiving Eve ritual on the Upper West Side going back at least to the 1970s, with balloons laid out on West 77th and West 81st streets. This history suggests the blocks will look familiar. Until Macy's and the NYPD post the 2026 plan, though, the checkpoint at 72nd and Columbus is the only fixed detail.
Inside the Museum, Three Reasons to Go Before the Balloons Arrive
With the street plan still open, the museum is the part of the week you can count on. All three new exhibits are inside the building the balloons surround.
- Monarch's Journey, in the Richard Gilder Center, opened October 16. It wraps the walls near the museum's butterfly research collection with illustrations by graphic novelist Peter Kuper, along with a video installation of monarchs in flight. It follows the butterflies' 3,000-mile migration to central Mexico, and the New York City skyline appears in Kuper's drawings.
- The Nature of Color opens November 16 on the third floor. It needs a separate ticket, and member previews start November 13.
- Monumental: The 3 WatchMen and Other Works by James Hart opens November 20 in the Northwest Coast Hall's Contemporary Art Gallery and is included with any admission. It shows 12 works by the Haida artist, built around 3 WatchMen, a seven-foot carved pole from around 2020.
The timing works in neighbors' favor. Two of the three exhibits open within ten days of inflation, so the museum's newest rooms will still be new when the crowds come on the 25th. Monumental is included with general admission, which makes it the simplest stop on Wednesday before going back outside to see the balloons fill.
The Balloons Worth Waiting On
The lineup is where the "100th" label shows. Macy's has confirmed several new and returning pieces:
- Underdog is back for the first time in 42 years, ABC7 reported on October 19.
- Joe Cool and Woodstock is a new balloon for the 100th parade, according to ABC7's September 16 report. Snoopy already had a long record. Gothamist counted 42 flights since 1968 before his Beagle Scout version flew in 2024.
- Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey is Disney's new balloon this year, per Macy's.
- Hello Kitty is in the lineup in her blue overalls and red bow.
Macy's has also announced three floats so far: the Hogwarts Holiday float, based on the Great Hall; the Mr. Peanut Power Plant float, marking 120 years of the Planters brand; and a road-trip float from GEICO with its Gecko. In 2025 floats were assembled between West 81st and 86th streets, and the 2026 staging spot hasn't been announced.
Wednesday is the day to see the balloons up close, and the 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. window fits inside an ordinary afternoon. On Thursday, the parade belongs to the whole route down to Herald Square from 8:30 a.m. to noon. On Wednesday, the balloons are still on the blocks around the museum.
Parade week affects some Central Park West and side-street buildings more than others, depending on closures, entry points, and how close a building is to the inflation blocks. If you're looking at an apartment near the route and want to know how November 25 and 26 play out at a particular address, Kobi Lahav can walk you through it before you commit. Contact Kobi.
