Macy's Parade Will Skip Times Square

According to the Associated Press, organizers of the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade are likely to bypass Broadway and Times Square this year after the area becomes a pedestrian-only zone.

If plans go ahead, it will be the first time in the parade's 84-year history that Times Square will not be included on the parade route, according to USA Today. In past years, the route has started at Central Park West and West 77th Street and travelled 2.5 miles to end in front of Macy's flagship store in Herald Square, but may now bypass Broadway for Sixth Avenue.

According to Crain's New York Business, parade organizers are also concerned that Broadway is much narrower than other streets and trying to fit the balloons and floats down the route has resulted in injuries during previous parades. Two people were hurt when an M&Ms balloon became tangled on a streetlamp in 2005, Crain's reports. A city investigation was launched, and it was found that Macy's own guidelines for the parade indicated the need for a broader course than Broadway provides.

Hotels along the route are already protesting the change, arguing that reservations for rooms overlooking the route sell out up to a year in advance at premium rates, with guests wanting a front row seat of the legendary parade.