what do they fill the macy's parade balloons with

The giant character balloons in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade are filled with helium gas, which is lighter than air and lets them float above the streets while handlers guide them with ropes.

What the Balloons Are Filled With

• The parade’s signature balloons are inflated with helium shortly before the event so they are buoyant enough to “fly” along the route.

• Helium is used instead of regular air because its lower density makes the balloons rise, creating that iconic floating effect viewers see on TV and in person.

Why Helium Is Used

• Helium is non‑flammable and non‑toxic, which makes it a safer choice for a huge public event than flammable gases like hydrogen.

• The balloons are first test‑inflated with ordinary air during design and painting, but for parade day they are topped off or fully filled with helium so they can lift.

A Bit of Extra Context

• Modern Macy’s balloons can use thousands of cubic feet of helium each, contributing to an overall helium usage estimated in the hundreds of thousands of cubic feet for the parade.

• Early parade balloons many decades ago were originally just filled with air and did not float the same way, but the tradition evolved as helium inflation became standard.

TL;DR: Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons are filled with helium (not just air) so they can float safely above the streets while being controlled from the ground.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.