New York's Thanksgiving parade revels on amid tight security

New York's traditional Thanksgiving Day parade brought huge crowds to the city's streets on Thursday, packing sidewalks from Central Park to Herald Square even as authorities tightened security following recent terror attacks in the city and elsewhere.

As crowds estimated in the millions applauded marching bands, elaborate floats and enormous tethered balloons - bearing the likenesses of Mickey Mouse, SpongeBob SquarePants, the Grinch and other cartoon characters - a huge contingent of thousands of police patrolled the 2.5-mile (four-kilometer) parade route or kept watch from helicopters hovering overhead.

With the festive event coming just weeks after the October 31 truck attack on a bike path in New York that killed eight people -- many of them foreign tourists - the city had noticeably stepped up security for Thursday.

TRT World's  Ediz Tiyansan has this report.

Massive dump trucks were parked at intersections, and concrete barriers set in place, to prevent just such an incident. 

Police said aviation units, heavy weapons teams, canine units and observation teams were also deployed in an effort to ensure security.

Parade-goers in New York seemed aware of that history but appeared in a festive mood under sunny but frigid skies, as Americans across the country - and those posted in distant lands - celebrated their annual day devoted to family gatherings and the giving of thanks.

While people in New York were shivering, families gathered in southern California were baking along with their turkeys, with temperatures set to soar past 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius).