Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade 2017: Colourful balloons made their way through Manhattan [PHOTOS]

Thanksgiving Day marks the beginning of the annual holiday season in the United States. This year, the Thanksgiving Day was celebrated on November 23, Thursday. Every year, millions of people gather at Manhattan to see the more than 1,500 dancers, 1,000s of clowns, and 30+ parade floats.

The 91st annual parade featured old favourites such as in the shape of cartoon characters such as Pikachu, Charlie Brown and the squirrel from The Ice Age. It also included new balloons including Olaf from the Disney movie Frozen and Chase from the TV cartoon Paw Patrol, along with a new version of the Grinch. A dozen of marching bands, as well as the high-kicking Radio City Music Hall Rockettes, and Santa Claus took part in the lineup.

Stars such as Smokey Robinson, The Roots, Flo Rida and Wyclef Jean also celebrated the Thanksgiving Day at the parade along with performances from the casts of Broadway's "Anastasia," ''Dear Evan Hansen" and "SpongeBob SquarePants."

The authorities had hightened the security with extra police officers on guard to secure the parade route. New York Police Department officers with assault weapons and portable radiation detectors were circulating among the crowds, while sharpshooters were on rooftops and sand-filled city sanitation trucks were poised as imposing barriers to traffic at every cross street. The officers were also seen escorting each of the giant balloons. In this gallery, IBTimes Singapore has compiled a series of images to give you a better glimpse of Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade 2017.