New Delhi, Nov. 27 -- The 99th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade returned to New York City on Thursday (November 27), bringing with it a sprawling lineup of beloved balloons, new debuts, and eye-catching floats. Thousands lined the 2.5-mile route from the Upper West Side to Midtown as more than 30 floats, 34 balloons, 11 marching bands and dozens of performers celebrated the holiday.

Iconic characters soared once again above Manhattan:

Beagle Scout Snoopy, Super Mario, Spider-Man, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and Stuart the Minion, modeled after the Despicable Me character.

These are more crowd-pleasers drew cheers as they floated along the parade route, continuing their long-standing tradition.

Several new balloons made big entrances th...