It could be a balloon-less year at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. But would you watch without them?

If you ask me, the balloons are the highlight of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. At least as a parent watching with a child it is.

Watching to see our favorite characters larger than life and floating down the street and delighting in the new balloons they debut each year is kind of a family tradition. Without them, watching the parade just wouldn't be the same.

And yet that may be exactly what we are all in store for this year.

Seems Mother Nature could be sidelining the balloons due to high winds.

New York City has a rule that the balloons can't fly if winds are over 23 MPH. And Thursday's forecast is calling for gusts over 34 MPH in the city, so that would be a no-go for the giant inflatables.


The rule makes 100 percent sense. Especially after the 1998 incident where a windblown "Cat in the Hat" Balloon took out a streetlight, which then fell on a woman watching the parade.

Putting people in danger for a few balloons is definitely not worth it and I know they wouldn't do it

But it would be disappointing to watch the parade without the signature balloons.

It hasn't been balloon-less in my lifetime. Last time balloons were downed by winds was back in 1971.

But this year could be another story.

Parade planners are keeping an eye on the forecast and I'm sure it'll be a Wednesday night decision, but here's hoping Mother Nature can keep things quiet on Thanksgiving.

Good news for parade goers however, temperatures will be in the 40s, instead of the 20s like the last few years.

But does it matter if there are no balloons?