Philadelphia’s 105th Thanksgiving Day Parade, hosted by 6abc

This story originally appeared on 6abc.

The country’s oldest Thanksgiving parade is set to kick off the holiday season, heading through Center City and up Ben Franklin Parkway to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

This year there are more ways than ever to join in on the excitement and fun: come in person and experience the tradition up close; Watch it on 6abc and wherever you stream, starting with a pre-parade special at 8:30 a.m. and kickoff at 9 a.m.; And if you’re not in Philadelphia, you can watch it on Hulu, ABCNewsLive, and Disney+.

There’s no better way to start the holiday season than with the parade that started them all – the 6abc Dunkin’ Thanksgiving Day Parade!

Last minute preparations

Despite the rain, crews were up early at the inflation station on Thanksgiving morning.

On Wednesday evening, dozens of artists continued to work their magic in preparation for the parade.

“I would definitely say I’m excited. Definitely a little nervous,” said Cecilia Houck of On Point Dance Center in Blackwood, New Jersey.

The performers spent weeks rehearsing for the parade, now in its 105th year.

There are more than a dozen balloons with 19,000 cubic feet of helium to inflate, nearly 20 floats and 3,000 performers, including famous faces from the stages and screens of New York and Hollywood.