Macy&rsquos Thanksgiving Parade has pretty much become synonymous with New York City and Thanksgiving. It&rsquos difficult to imagine one without the other. A tradition that dates back centuries, it has amassed a country-wide audience. However, lately there have been several speculations regarding the fate of the parade in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Well, we&rsquove got some news. The parade did take place this year. But on the flip side, there were no spectators on the streets.

Given the increasing number of coronavirus cases, the department store held a modified version of the parade. The management of the store had to get permits from the state officials to conduct the parade. The event took place in the one-block-stretch from the brand&rsquos flagship store on 34th Street at 9am. 

As per tradition, spectators would head to the parade to see the floating balloons, fireworks,  acrobats, and performers as they walked down the two-metre stretch of Midtown. Unfortunately, fans this year were privy only to a nationally televised version. A major part of the parade was pre-taped over a period of three days. Instead of the usual 8,000-odd participants, the numbers were reduced by nearly 88 per cent. Keeping up with the safety measures, masks were made mandatory for all those participating.