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NEW YORK – Freezing weather and high winds did not dampen the excitement of Macy's Thanksgiving parade, where spectators were wrapped in blankets and sleeping bags and the giant balloons of the character flew lower. than usual.
Bob the Sponge, Charlie Brown, the Grinch and other big balloons were allowed to take off just before Thursday's parade, though some floated to heights lower than usual to- over passers-by holding their ties, like the outstretched hand of the "Diary of a Kid" Balloon that seemed to hit some of its managers on their woolen hat covered heads.
The 21 degrees (minus 6 degrees Celsius) initially make it one of the coldest Thanksgivings in the city for decades, and the temperature only heats up a few degrees over the parade.
Authorities were ready to order the 16 helium-filled balloons at lower altitudes or fully removed if sustained winds exceeded 23 mph (37 km / h) and gusts above 34 mph (54 km / h). ). There have been accidents and injuries in the past when bursts have baffled them.
Witnesses refused to let the cold darken the parade's observation, taking out blankets and sleeping bags to watch balloons, brass bands and tanks go by.
Tony Stout had camped with his extended family since 2 am to make sure they had a good view of his son, who was participating in the parade with the Ohio State University Band.
"Ohhh, I'm frozen and numb, but excited," said Stout, who had traveled from Columbus, Ohio.
Dylan Mahoney, who has been attending the parade every year for a dozen years, said that he stayed warm in layers, including several pairs of socks.
"It's one of the coldest," he said, but "we've already watched in the rain."
He added that he loved the tradition of attending the parade, starting from Leonia, New Jersey, early in the morning to see the groups and balloons and run for a good place.
Artists such as Diana Ross, John Legend, Martina McBride and the Muppets of "Sesame Street" performed in the freezing cold.
Later, Macy apologized for her "technical difficulties" after her fans attacked singer Rita Ora for what they considered a clumsy lip sync.
The British artist seems out of sync with the voices that viewers have heard in parts of his TV performance of "Let You Love Me," and the episode sparked a wave of online commentary.
Macy's apologized via Twitter, saying that "many artists had technical difficulties that had a negative impact on their performance" and that they were beyond the control of the performers.
Ora tweeted thanks to Macy's for "Honesty".
At another moment that caught the eye, a performance of the Broadway musical "The Prom" included a kiss between two female members of the cast. The producers told Entertainment Weekly that it was "the first LGBTQ kiss".
Representatives from Macy's and NBCUniversal did not respond to inquiries.
Thursday was one of the coldest Thanksgivings in New York City, with National Weather Service data showing a maximum temperature of 27 degrees (minus 2 degrees Celsius). The coldest ever recorded was recorded in 1871, when it was 22 ° C (minus 5 ° C).
Macy's parade did not begin until 1924.
Police Commissioner James O'Neill said thousands of officers were posted along the parade route. They included counterterrorism teams with shoulder weapons, plainclothes officers mingled with the crowd and a new K-9 team capable of detecting explosives at a hundred meters.
The parade runs 46 blocks west of Central Park to Macy's flagship store in downtown Manhattan.
The event will feature approximately 8,000 participants, including high school orchestras from across the country, and two dozen tanks, which will culminate with the arrival of Santa Claus.
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