November 27, 2025
The Parade Disaster That Nearly Turned Deadly
How the Cat in the Hat Balloon Nearly Killed a Woman at the 1997 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade — Inside the Terrifying Accident That Changed Parade Safety Forever For most Americans, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a symbol of holiday warmth — a spectacle of bright colors, soaring balloons, festive music, and familiar characters drifting peacefully through Manhattan’s brisk late-November sky. Families gather around televisions, children press against barricades, and the entire event hums with excitement and nostalgia. But on Thanksgiving Day in 1997, the parade became the center of a frightening, nearly fatal accident that would haunt the
