In honor of the 98th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade being right around the corner, Newsweek has rounded up the most iconic celebrity appearances from over the years. For decades, the New York City extravaganza has had families across the United States glued to their TV screens.

A century after the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the annual holiday tradition kicks off Thursday in New York City with new Spider-Man and Minnie Mouse balloons, zoo and pasta-themed floats, performances from Jennifer Hudson and Idina Menzel,

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has been the most-watched entertainment program in the U.S. for the past three years, ahead of the Oscars and the World Series.

From the NYPD knifing the Barney float to the Cat in the Hat balloon nearly killing a woman, these are the moments when the iconic parade went off the rails.

The massive helium balloons that will float through New York City for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade have been filled with helium ahead of the big event

The parade takes a small army of sculptors, painters, seamstresses, carpenters and welders to put together the giant balloons, floats and elaborate costumes. The first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade took place a century ago in 1924.

Final preparations were put in place Wednesday ahead of the 98th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. CBS News New York's Alecia Reid reports.