Linde lifts Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade® Balloons High, Signaling the Start of the Holiday Season
Nov 17, 2017, 08:00 ET
BRIDGEWATER, N.J., Nov. 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The iconic Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade® balloons will once again get the boost they need to soar above the streets of New York City, thanks to the helium supplied by Linde North America, Inc.
"Linde is proud to be a long-standing partner of Macy's for this landmark event," said Chris Ebeling, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Linde North America, Inc." This partnership once again highlights Linde's commitment to safely and reliably deliver our products and services to meet our customer needs. We are delighted to work with Macy's every year to keep improving the Parade for everyone's enjoyment."
This year marks 23 consecutive years of a unique partnership with Macy's. Each year Linde and Macy's bring the country's most recognizable balloons to life, lifting the spirits of people young and old and marking the official beginning of the holiday season.
"Our signature giant character balloons take flight thanks to our long-standing partnership with Linde, that breathes life into fan favorites every year," said Susan Tercero, Group Vice President, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. "On Thanksgiving Day, 17 giant characters' balloons and 28 legacy/novelty creations will ignite the imagination of more than 3.5 million spectators lining the Parade route and more than 50 million watching on television, and that is due in part to the great work of our two teams."
Helium's Journey
The helium used to fill the iconic balloons begins its journey at the Linde Otis plant, located in Kansas. The plant refines crude helium purchased from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, as well as from private producers that extract it from natural gas fields in the U.S. mid-continent.
The helium is then purified and liquefied for shipment across the country and around the world including to fill the breathtaking balloons for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
It is then filled into a trailer for shipment to Bethlehem, PA where Linde operates a helium trans-fill facility.
Here the liquefied helium is converted to a gas and compressed into four high – pressure tube trailers that are trucked to New York City.
On the day before the Parade, Linde and Macy's staff assemble near the Museum of Natural History in Manhattan, where workers begin inflating the balloons using a gas filling apparatus Linde has customized for the Macy's Parade.
Early Thanksgiving morning, the balloons are topped off with helium and poised for the Parade.
"This year, Linde will supply some 300,000 cubic feet of helium to the parade so the giant balloons can stand tall to capture the spirit of the holiday," said Eric Bass, Product Manager, Linde Helium.
About Linde North America Inc.,
Linde North America Inc., is a member of The Linde Group, a world leading gases and engineering company. In the 2016 financial year, The Linde Group generated revenue of EUR 16.9 billion, making it one of the largest gases and engineering company in the world with approximately 60,000 employees working in more than 100 countries worldwide. The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards long-term profitable growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services. Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment – in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. The company is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development.
For more information, visit www.lindeus.com
SOURCE Linde North America, Inc.