The holiday tradition, which draws throngs of participants and spectators, this year comes two days after six people were killed in a shooting at a Walmart in
In light of those events, police “will deploy additional resources to ensure the festivities across the city are safe for all,”
By now, the security measures are almost as familiar as the parade itself. They include heavy weapons teams, explosives detection dogs, a bomb squad, radiological and chemical sensors, drone detection, sand trucks and blocker vehicles and additional cameras on the route.
New balloons this year include the animated sensation “Bluey," Stuart the one-eyed Minion from “Despicable Me 2,” and new green dinosaur and “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” balloons.
The biggest characters are as long as 70 feet (21 meters) and have 50 handlers holding their ropes,
Seeing them up close was “a dream come true” for youngster
“They're, like, humongous!” she said.
Sam Lo and his family also were impressed to watch the giant characters take shape.
“This is wonderful — first time experiencing it live, in person,” Lo said.
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