Thanksgiving Day Parade 2012 Route, Performances, Balloons Ahead of Macy’s Event on Nov. 22, 9 a.m. EST

Macy's annual Thanksgiving Day parade will mark its 86^th anniversary with some new features come Nov. 22.

According to Macy's, the parade will debut on a new route along Sixth Avenue in Manhattan, three balloons, and six floats.

Parade Route:

The 2.5-mile parade will kick-off at 77^th Street and head down via Central Park West. The parade will then turn at Columbus Circle onto Central Park South until it reaches to Sixth Avenue. Upon reaching the new route of Sixth Avenue, it will head south until 34^th Street where it will turn for one more block - 7^th Avenue as its final stop.

New Balloons:

Three new balloons are gearing up to debut on the Thursday event, joining the likes of Buzz Lightyear, Kermit the Frog, Pikachu, Spongebob Squarepants, Spiderman, and Sailor Mickey Mouse.

The first is The Elf on the Shelf, which is Santa Claus' little help to watch over kids around the world who have behaved well.

The second balloon to make its debut is Hello Kitty. It might not be a debut as Macy's refers is as "Returning to the line-up" but still categorized as a debut. The kitty will be in her retro 1970's airplane sporting the traditional redbow.

The final balloon is Papa Smurf. The fatherly figure from The Smurfs, Papa Smurf will sport his trademark bow tie and cane ahead of The Smurfs 2's premiere set for next summer.

Music:

Performances currently lined up include Carly Rae Jepson, Chris Isaak, Cody Simpson, Don McLean, Flo Rida, Jennette McCurdy, Jimmy Fallon and The Roots, Karmin, Neon Trees, and The Wanted.

Guest Appearances:

Other celebrities are lined up to help the festivities from basketball stars, singers, gymnasts, comedians, and even muppets.

Currently lined up to appear are NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Trace Adkins, Colbie Caillat, Rachel Crow, Whoopi Goldberg, Sandra Lee, the Muppets, the cast of Sesame Street, US Olympic Gold Medalists Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, Jordyn Weiber, Kyla Ross, and McKayla Maroney, to name a few.

The 86^th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will start at 9 a.m. EST on NBC.