13. You can watch the balloons get inflated
All of the giant balloons and “balloonicles” get inflated the day before the parade and you can watch as they take shape! The event usually takes place between noon and 6 PM ET, with the balloons really starting to look like something around 3 PM. You can watch as teams of jumpsuited inflation technicians transform the ballons from wrinkly piles to your favorite characters.
For 2022, you can enter the line Spectators may enter the queue at West 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue. The viewing area wraps around the Museum of Natural History and the exit is at West 82nd Street and Central Park West.