Watching the parade and stuffing yourself with a delicious Thanksgiving meal are excellent ways to spend the holiday, but if you are looking for a new way to celebrate this year, we have some suggestions. From seeing the parade balloons before they float down 6th Avenue, to walking or running off that extra slice of pumpkin pie, check out our picks for unique Thanksgiving events happening in New York City this year:

1. Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloon Inflation

If you want a sneak peek of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons, you can watch them be inflated the night before, from 1:00pm through 8:00PM on Wednesday, November 27th, the balloons will take shape as they are filled with helium outside the Museum of Natural History. The path of inflation winds all the way around the Museum, starting at the public entrance on 74th Street and Columbus Avenue. This year, balloons you will see include astronaut Snoopy, Olaf, Spongebob and more. 

It is advised that you arrive early to secure a spot. The balloons start to take shape between 1pm-3pm. All spectators will go through a security checkpoint and enter the inflation area at 74th Street and Central Park West. The exit is at 81st Street and Central Park West. There have been reports that the wind may be too strong for the balloons to fly at all or very high for this yea’rs parade, so the balloon blowing may be your best time to catch them! The 93rd Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is scheduled to take place on Thursday, November 28, 2019, from 9 AM to Noon ET. You can watch from a spot along the 2.5 miles of public viewing space, or from the comfort of your home on NBC.