NEW YORK - The world's largest parade kicked off at 9 a.m. (CST) Thursday, with thousands watching as 28 floats rolled down their traditional two-and-a-half mile trek in Manhattan, New York during the 95th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Last year, the parade was scaled back due to COVID-19 concerns amid the pandemic.

But this year, festivities returned to the iconic parade, as classic floats like Snoopy and Papa Smurf returned to the scene.

New floats also appeared in the lineup, such as Louisiana's Celebration Gator, featuring Academy Award-winning musical sensation Jon Batiste.

.@LouisianaTravel's float is one of the longest floats in #MacysParade history! Tune in to catch @jonbatiste's history-making performance! pic.twitter.com/WM4OljL8dv

— Macy's (@Macys) November 25, 2021

The Celebration Gator will be crawling down the 95th @Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade route as the 10th float! pic.twitter.com/5oCWFLmArR

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— Office of Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser (@LouisianaLtGov) November 25, 2021

The Celebration Gator is a 60-foot-long, alligator-themed float that features a colorful street view of New Orleans French Quarter architecture, participants dressed in lavish baby gator costumes, and a team of stilt walkers.

Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser said the float is intended to remind people around the nation that Louisiana is open to tourists.