Before the famous floats make their way down the streets of Manhattan for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, they are inflated and prepped at MetLife Stadium.

The inflated floats will take their first flight Saturday to gauge how they react in real-world conditions.

News 12’s Kimberly Kravitz spoke to parade executive producer Will Coss about the event.

“It’s our first opportunity to celebrate the release of our new balloons,” he said.

This year's parade will feature 16 giant character balloons, 28 floats, more than 700 clowns, 12 marching bands and a host of musical performances.

Preparation for the event is not an easy task. It involves a total of 5,000 volunteers.

“There's so much that goes on the morning of. You get there early, the balloons are set up early under the nets…everyone's screaming and cheering. It goes fast,” said volunteer Lilyan Layton.