Revelers geared up for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Wednesday at a balloon inflation party on the Upper West Side. NY1's Frank DiLella filed the following report.

It's an only-in-New-York experience and a true backstage pass.

Wednesday night was all about the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon inflation party.

The event, which is a sneak peek of the 90th annual extravaganza, took place on the Upper West Side. 

The outdoor viewing party attracted thousands of people who just wanted a preview of the 40 balloons that will appear in the holiday staple. 

"I'm a New Yorker. I would never leave. It's the best place in town. And this is proof of it," said one attendee.

Balloons first appeared in the parade back in 1927. They actually replaced animals.

Included in the original lineup was Felix the Cat. Felix is back this year and looks purrrrfect for Thanksgiving.

"It was the first character balloon to appear in the parade," said Amy Kule, executive producer of the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. "And back in '27, we didn't use helium. Felix came down hoisted on sticks. And we're going to do that again this year." 

I polled some of the inflation party attendees and definitely found a favorite character or characters for the parade. It wasn't a classic. It was one of the five new ones.

"Trolls, Trolls, Trolls," said one attendee.

You can catch the Trolls and more on Thanksgiving, when the parade passes by.