Every year on Thanksgiving Day, people gather not only around the TV but around the streets of Manhattan, to experience the famous Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. 

With the world going through a global crisis, the experience for 2020 was different. 

With the global pandemic affecting the world immensely, the parade was not canceled instead it was different than usual.

 The parade still happened, but there were no gatherings to watch it allowed. 

Everyone had to watch the parade at home.

 It was aired from 9 a.m. to noon on Thursday, November 26, on NBC. 

The floats and performances that were expected to occur did, but of course with precautions including face masks and social distancing. 

In comparison to the 2019 parade, which had between 8,000 and 10,000 participants including performers, staff and balloon handlers, the 2020 parade was reduced by 70% of maximum capacity. 

The team for the parade was less than 2,000 people, who helped film the event. 

A lot of the changes were done with the intention of having less people. 

Loretta Quintana, a junior at Loretto Academy, said, “I was in New York for the Thanksgiving Day Parade last year and it was incredible. I was saddened to see this year’s drastic changes and I hope next year will be as it was before.”

The large balloons held by 80 to 100 trained handlers throughout the parade, were now replaced by five rigged vehicles.

Along with the reduction of people, the coordinators did not allow any member under 18 to attend the parade, so any high school or college bands set to perform were moved to 2021.

Although the parade was somehow different this year due to the never ending contingence, the coordinators of the event worked hard keeping the tradition alive and working for their millions of expected viewers around the world.

Editor’s note: Sophia Padilla wrote this story but her staff profile is pending.