NEW YORK (AP):

Beloved characters like Snoopy and SpongeBob SquarePants soared through the skies above New York City on Thursday and bands marched along the streets below as the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade ushered in the holiday season.

The 97th parade started on Manhattan’s Upper West Side making its way alongside Central Park in front of big crowds and a national television audience before ending in front of Macy’s flagship store on 34th Street.

Included among the big names on the performing were Cher, who just released her first Christmas album; Jon Batiste; Bell Biv DeVoe; Brandy; Jessie James Decker; Pentatonix; and Miss America 2023 Grace Stanke. The parade also included performances from the casts of some Broadway shows.

It was briefly disrupted when a few protesters in jumpsuits covered in fake blood glued themselves to the street. They carried a banner that say, “Free Palestine”, and “Genocide then. Genocide now”, and were taken into custody.

The parade continued as police worked.

New balloons debuting this year included Leo the lizard, a character from a Netflix film, as well as ones that have been there before, like SpongeBob, coming in at 44 feet. Some characters, like Snoopy, have been in the parade for many years, but this year’s balloon is a new Beagle Scout Snoopy version – celebrating the 50th anniversary of his first appearance in the Peanuts comics.

The parade isn’t just about what’s going on in the skies, though. At street level, the procession includes more than two dozen floats, marching bands from around the country and clown crews among the 8,000 people participating.

Thousands lined the streets, with hildren were on the shoulders of their parents, shouting as characters like Bluey and Big Bird from Sesame Street passed by.

The parade debuted in 1924.