New Yorkers mark Thanksgiving with 78th Macy's parade

Hundreds of thousands of spectators lined up the streets of Manhattan, New York to watch the 78th Macy's Thanksgiving Parade as the parade transformed Manhattan midtown into a world of balloons and floats Thursday.

Twenty-seven floats, 59 balloons, 25 groups of clowns and 10 marching bands made their way down Broadway for the annual parade.

Sponge Bob Square Pants was one of three new balloons. Chicken Little and Red and Yellow M&Ms made their debut, but the parade also included old favorites like Charlie Brown and Barney.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg joined adults and children at the festivities, and took time to stop by a 911 center to visit workers there. He said he was grateful for people throughout the city who were working on the holiday.

"I'm thankful the city is doing well, and we have to make sure all of our services continue to work, especially our emergency services," he said.

"We've been able to avoid terrorism; we've been able to bring crime down; we've been able to bring jobs back, and build housing;schools are getting better, and I just hope we get a chance to keep doing it."

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is one of the top tourist attractions in the city, and one of the top terrorist targets. Theparade attracts millions to Midtown Manhattan, posing a special challenge for police.

New York police tightened security for the festivity, blocking streets along the parade route and additional vehicles were waiting on hand for emergency. There are also more plainclothes officers scattered in the crowd, with more rooftop coverage.

Source: Xinhua