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People walk past the Spongebob and Gary balloon before the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade begins.
People walk past the Spongebob and Gary balloon before the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade begins.EPA
A Pikachu balloon before the start of the parade.
A Pikachu balloon before the start of the parade.AFP via Getty Images
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NYPD officers give the all-clear to fly the balloons.
NYPD officers give the all-clear to fly the balloons.NYPD
The Ronald McDonald balloon
The Ronald McDonald balloonGetty Images
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Give thanks — the balloons will fly!

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was set to step off as normal as of early Thursday morning — following fears this week that wind gusts could ground the celebration’s famous flight of floats.

“As of now the balloons will fly!” the NYPD’s Midtown North precinct tweeted just after 7 a.m.

Police reminded parade-goers that sustained winds of 23 miles per hour and gusts above 34 mph would force them to ground the iconic balloons — with SpongeBob SquarePants the first to be stopped.

“Let’s hope the wind stays calm at the #macysthanksgivingdayparade,” Midtown North tweeted.

The parade, which features 16 balloons, kicks off at 9 a.m. at the corner of West 77th Street and Central Park West.

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