Let’s Have a Parade!
How?
The first question I get asked when someone finds out that I’m a balloon handler in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is “How did you get to do that?” The simple “New York” style answer is “I know a guy.” Actually I happen to know two wonderful people who shall remain nameless. We met years ago while geocaching and at some point in time they extended an invitation. Due to my life as a teacher and school schedules Sue and I had to turn them down, until I retired and realized I could actually join them. That was two years ago. Oh, and just because you know me doesn’t improve your chances… I’m not high enough on the food chain to invite people.
Basic Training
When we found out our application had been approved Sue and I watched videos and I decided I would be a lot less anxious if I went to a full blown training day. So off to New Jersey we went to learn the secrets of balloon handling. I thought I’d was good to learn by doing. Having held a bone (the part the rope is wrapped around) dropped the apprehension I had. Fortunately this is about teamwork and following directions. After a few laps with a balloon I started to feel more comfortable and understand what I needed to do.
There are training days and Balloonfest along with test flights of new balloons. These events tend to happen in New Jersey. The parking lot of MetLife Stadium to be more precise. The Test Flights I’ve participated in happen at the Prudential Center. It’s fun taking a balloon through its paces and seeing if contact points need to be moved. Test Flights also give the sponsor a chance to try out being a balloon handler and pose for photos.
Newbies
As I recall our first time as balloon handlers Sue and I decided to arrive with enough time to view the inflation which happens throughout the day on Wednesday. While we skipped it this year it is something I would highly recommend to do at least once. The lines are long, but you do get up close with the balloons and floats which if you are in the parade you may not see except on TV.
Are You Ready to Rumble?
Prior to the parade you find out the balloon you’ve been assigned to, along with the Pilot and Captain. These are two roles that are kinda important and skill based. If you are the pilot you need to walk backwards… and understand aeronautical engineering, physics, meteorology… OK maybe not all that but it’s your job to make sure the balloon flies and doesn’t crash. You guide the handlers giving directions to raise or lower the balloon, and keep the proper speed. There’s a lot more to it, but that’s the basics. Balloon Captains help the handlers out and work with the Pilot to keep everyone safe and happy. That means everyone - including the spectators.
Yes they have an App to keep everyone excited and in the know. You get your digital credentials along with the time you need to report for costuming. This is pretty early and is like most of life, standing in a queue.
So very early in the morning, before many people start cooking their Thanksgiving dinners, you get up and head over to costuming. This year they organized it a bit differently having separate lines for each time slot. You show your ID and Parade credentials and check in to get your costume. The costume for balloon handlers is pretty straightforward- a coverall, bib, hat, gloves, spats and a dickie. For those not in the know. A dickie is just the turtleneck part of a turtleneck. This is used to cover whatever clothes (layers) you might be wearing. Pants should be tucked into the spats! Now we all look pretty much the same and are ready to board the bus to our balloon.
At the balloon we all gather around for photos and are given any last minute instructions. For the Derpy Tiger balloon we had specific directions since our balloon was going to be part of the performance. Basically turn the balloon so it is facing the stage and Derpy would back out to the deflation area.
We were also reminded of our chant “We’re going up, up, up!” More on that later. From there we wait. When the time comes the ground crew gets us into position- holding our bones and facing the balloon as they remove the netting keeping the balloon grounded. Then we wait, and wait. Did I mention we wait?
Once we get to the start of the route, balloons are mixed in with floats, clowns, bands, dancers, and everyone else. At the start there is an announcer introducing each group. Then, as a balloon handler, you watch the pilot and follow directions. The balloon goes up, the balloon goes down. The wind blows down the street and especially at intersections. You can tell how strong the wind is by how high the balloons fly.
For the most part I spent the parade walking. Our chant became a mix of “Derpy! Derpy!” and “K-Pop! K-Pop!” The “We’re going Up! Up! Up!” Was just too long for most of the young kids chanting. Like they say - you don’t get to choose your nickname, you also don’t get to choose your chant.
There are key moments along the route, most deal with turning. Once through those it’s getting to the “Quiet Zone” right before the end of the parade.
As I said earlier this time was unique in that our balloon would actually be a part of the performance. We had to rush to the far side of the green area turn the balloon around and the wait, all during the 17th commercial break.
The Golden Moment
The performance was awesome, singing, dancing, pyrotechnics, and confetti, lots and lots of confetti.
Then it was about face and get Derpy to the deflation area.
For most balloons they get highlighted along the route and just rush across the green (the stage) during a commercial.
The balloons have tubes used to fill them and large zippered openings to let the gas escape quickly. As a balloon handler your job is to get the balloon on the ground, tie up your line, and help wherever you can. Don’t breathe in the helium… it isn’t a good idea. Once the balloon has been deflated we help fold and roll it up then it gets put into a rolling cart and put on a truck. This year we also helped reroll SpongeBob which is a massive balloon compared to Derpy.
Our final task is to head back to costuming and return everything. It starts with the hat, gloves, dickie, and spats that all go into rolling bins. The coveralls and bib get hung back up. We can keep the button (which has been our official credential to help us get past security) and get a pin once we’ve checked everything back in.
For Sue and me it’s then off to brunch, a nap and watching the rebroadcast before deciding what to about Thanksgiving dinner.
It is an amazing experience and definitely a bucket list item for many people. I’m looking forward to hopefully joining a crew for next year and the 100th parade. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving or if you don’t participate, a nice Thursday.
Sue has promised to share a more concise (less verbose, less Bruce 🙄) overview of the day once we actually make it home. I’ll go over the rest of this amazing Whimventure too.
Great writeup! Bruce didn't bother to say it was cold and 3 mles is a long way! Nor did he discuss his prior ballon experiences, starting with a couple of Gordon Bennet ballon races here in California. I think he was part of the group helping the Polish team - which arrived with their ballon in a basket and $50 - until our Polish community found out they were here and then there were no more problems! But this is just a wondrrtful writeup of a another great adventure! Well done, well done indeed!
Please thank Cecil for his help as well! I know the temptation to cause chaos is very high! 💛