Macy's annual Thanksgiving parade held her annual hike in the heart of Manhattan on Thursday, despite record temperatures and near-dangerous winds for high-flying Charlie Brown and SpongeBob.

Hundreds of thousands of spectators, some of whom arrive hours in advance, huddle under blankets and under guardrails as tanks, balloons and eye-catching protesters make their way through 46 blocks. from west of Central Park to Macy's flagship store in downtown Manhattan.

The parade, which began in 1924 to promote the venerable department store, brought together some 8,000 marchers, including high school orchestras from across the country, as well as two dozen floats setting the stage for Santa's arrival.

Diana Ross, John Legend, Martina McBride and the Muppets of "Sesame Street" played, despite an extreme cold alert for performers and spectators.

A notice from New York City urged all out-door wearers to wear hats, scarves, gloves and over-the-shoulder clothing, and to cover their fingers, earlobes and nose to prevent frostbite.

The temperature plummeted from 19 degrees to 11 am EST, reaching the previous record high for the 21 degree event indicated in 1930, 1938 and 1972.

More: First glance: New balloons go to Macy's Thanksgiving parade

The low temperatures this morning in Central Park provoked the attack of the second coldest Thanksgiving temperature on November 28, 1901 and November 30, 1876. The lowest cold, 15 °, occurred on November 30, 1871 , according to the New York National Weather Service.

The critical factor for the parade, however, is not the cold but the wind. With 16 balloons of animated characters filled with helium floating at the end of long cables above the parade route, the wind can quickly turn a parade into a dangerous area.

In 2013, the giant balloon "M & M's Chocolate Candies" was snapped up by a lamppost in Times Square, dropping some of the top. Two sisters were touched by falling debris, one of which required stitches.

Balloons are stranded if winds are stronger than 23 mph and gusts above 34 mph. Less than two hours before the parade, the winds were 15 to 20 mph with gusts of 30 mph.

If the situation deteriorates, the police say they are ready to order the balloons at a lower altitude or fully cleaned.

In fact, some of the balloons seemed closer to the ground than in the past, rising just a few feet above those holding their ties. The balloon's outstretched hand "Journal of a Wimpy Kid" seemed to hit some of the people who were manipulating it on his head covered with a woolen hat.

Police Commissioner James O'Neill said thousands of police officers would be posted along the parade route to monitor other critical points. Counterterrorism teams with shoulder guns are present and plainclothes police mingle with the crowd.

A new team of K-9 teams, capable of detecting explosives a few hundred meters away, will also monitor the scene.

In terms of entertainment, the parade also includes Bad Bunny, Kane Brown and Ella Mai, Pentatonix, Rita Ora, Sugarland, Anika Noni Rose, The Barenaked Ladies, Leona Lewis, Fifth Harmony's Ally Brooke, Bazzi, Ashley Tisdale and Carly Pearce.

Contribution: Associated Press

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