Universal Orlando Resort's Christmas Celebrations 2017 - Review

2. Universal's Holiday Parade Featuring Macy's

This year there's a brand new parade at Universal Studios Florida and it's one of the best I've ever seen.

In previous years, Universal has needed to wait until after Thanksgiving so that they could borrow Macy's balloons for their own holiday parade. This year, Universal has worked with Macy's to create their own balloons so the celebrations could start before Thanksgiving arrived.

The new balloons and intricate floats are much more fitting to Universal's franchises. Despicable Me, Madagascar and Shrek all make appearances in this parade. Of course it wouldn't be a holiday parade if Santa wasn't there too.

Even though they worked with Macy's to create the huge balloons, the floats that Universal created to go alongside are particularly impressive. We were told to keep an eye out for some little Easter Eggs on the floats such as the snowman next to Pinocchio, who's nose also grows.

Some of the floats will also appear around the park after the parade, creating meet and greet locations. There will also be characters that have never been in the parks before such as King Julian from Madagascar and also Lucy Wilde from Despicable Me 2/3.

The soundtrack is all new too and there's just as much snow and glitter reigning down on the crowds as in previous years.

Personally, I was a bit worried about the parade changing. What I loved about the old parade was that it was a mini version of New York's Macy's Holiday Parade. Admittedly it was a little odd to see Snoopy floating around Universal but that just added to the feeling that it was part of the traditional Thanksgiving parade. Turns out, I didn't need to be concerned.

Universal spent two and a half years working with Macy's to create this truly beautiful parade. The team were inspired by their own childhood memories when putting together the themes of the floats and balloons. Some of the toys in Santa's section of the parade may look familiar to many.

It's well worth staking out a place to catch the parade, especially in the New York area so you can see Santa lighting the tree.