Final preparations are underway for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade

The excitement is really building in New York City, as we are just hours away from the 97th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, and this one is expected to be BIG!

It's got so much stuff that they even had to add an extra hour of parade time with a new kickoff time of 8:30 a.m. Thursday.

Tom the Turkey is all ready to go, as they put him together Wednesday morning.

They used massive cranes in Central Park to put all of the huge floats together, and they unfurled all of the balloons.

This year, we're going to see seven new character balloons, including Beagle Scout Snoopy, Blue Cat and Chugs, Po from "Kung Fu Panda," Netflix's "Leo," Monkey D. Luffy, the Pillsbury Doughboy and Uncle Dan from "Migration."

They've also got a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle float and a Willy Wonka float.

Of course, we all already know the iconic Cher will be in attendance, but the lineup includes 16 additional performers, ranging from Latin urban and reggaeton star Manuel Turizo to singer-songwriter Brandy and even the legendary duo David Foster and Katharine McPhee, among others.

As for the weather, it's thrown on its best sunny outfit and kicked the rain clouds aside! Thursday's parade is in for a treat with plenty of sunshine, and temperatures dancing around a cheerful high of 52, according to the National Weather Service.

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