NEW YORK >> More than 400 Hawaii band members, along with 200 hula dancers, braved the chilly streets of New York protected by sand-filled dump trucks and bomb-sniffing dogs as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade went off without a hitch Thursday.
Thousands of spectators and more than 3,000 police officers lined the streets amid an air of uncertainty about the possibility of an extremist attack.
“There are so many police officers out here, you can’t help but feel safe,” said Sarah Bender, who brought her two young sons to watch the parade. “It’s a day to have fun, watch the balloons and celebrate with your family. You can’t spend your life worrying about what could happen.”
The Hawai‘i All State Marching Band, also known as Na Koa Ali‘i, played and danced to tunes such as “Tahiti Tahiti” and “Mele Kalikimaka.” Band members wore raffia skirts and custom-made aloha shirts.
The band — the parade’s largest musical ensemble — comprises select high school students from 41 public and private schools statewide.
While authorities had said there was no confirmation of any credible threat, they stepped up safety measures in the wake of the July cargo truck attack on a holiday crowd in Nice, France, and a recent posting in an English-language Islamic State group magazine that called the Thanksgiving parade “an excellent target.”
Revelers cheered and yelled, “Thank you!” to officers along the route, giving special attention to the New York Police Department marching band.
Spectators sometimes stood 10 deep to see the parade and its signature giant balloons, including Ronald McDonald, SpongeBob SquarePants and Charlie Brown. Marching bands from across the country performed, as did celebrity singers such as Tony Bennett and Sarah McLachlan.
Annie Quinn traveled more than three hours from Albany, N.Y., to attend the parade with her cousin and two sisters — all three dressed in turkey costumes — scoring prime front-row seats along the route.
“We sat here for hours but it was worth it,” she said. “This was the best parade I’ve seen in a while.”
But amid the fun and high-fives, there was intensive security. Officers with assault weapons and portable radiation detectors walked among the crowds, and more than 80 sanitation trucks filled with sand were parked at intersections and other places, acting as barriers against any kind of attack.
Na Koa Ali‘i, formed in 2002, performed in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2005 and 2011. The band also traveled to California in 2003, 2009 and 2013 to perform in the Rose Parade.
The students marched near a float made in collaboration with King’s Hawaiian bakery. Dubbed the “Aloha Spirit,” the three-story-tall float featured a volcano, a flowing waterfall, palm trees and plumeria.
