The University of Massachusetts Minutemen marching band, “the power and class of New England,” blared and marched its way through the heart of New York in a rain-soaked Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The parade marched, soared and roared into its second century Thursday despite a drenching rain and a brief disruption from pro-Palestinian demonstrators.

“The Power and Class of New England left no crumbs today at the #MacysParade! Here they are marching to the @Macys flagship store on West 34th Street,” the University said in a post on X, with a clip of the band briskly marching past holiday bedecked buildings in downtown New York.

New York City police said they arrested 21 people after protesters jumped barricades and sat down on the parade route with Palestinian flags and a “Don’t Celebrate Genocide” banner. They chanted “Free, free Palestine!” as a giant Ronald McDonald balloon bore down on them on Manhattan’s Sixth Avenue.

People protesting Israel’s war in Gaza also interrupted last year’s parade.

The latest edition of the annual holiday tradition featured new Spider-Man and Minnie Mouse balloons, zoo and pasta-themed floats, an ode to Big Apple coffee and bagels, performances from Jennifer Hudson, Idina Menzel and Kylie Minogue, and more.

This year’s parade featured 17 giant, helium-filled character balloons, 22 floats, 15 novelty and heritage inflatables, 11 marching bands, including the Minutemen, from as far away as Texas and South Dakota, 700 clowns, 10 performance groups, award-winning singers and actors, and the WNBA champion New York Liberty.

Members of University of Massachusetts Minutemen marching band march along Central Park West. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)