The Chicago Thanksgiving Parade, now in its 91st year, stepped off on State Street downtown Thursday morning.

CBS Chicago aired the parade live on television and on the CBS News Chicago streaming channel, with hosts Maria Palmer and Marris of Rock 95.5.

The parade and the broadcast began at 8 a.m. The parade moved along State Street between Lake and Van Buren streets.

The festivities began in the VIP area outside Macy's on State Street with a performance by the Chicago Korean Dance Company, performing Seonyurak, or Dance of the Boats. 

A performance of "It's the Hard Knock Life" from the beloved musical "Annie" by Music Theater Works followed. "Annie" runs Dec. 18 through Jan. 4 at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie.

A variety of cultural dance and musical performances from all over the world followed.

Maurice "Chef Blaque" Shelton served as the grand marshal of the parade. A product of Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood who now lives in Gary, Indiana, Chef Blaque is known for his edible art — including what the parade called "hyper-realistic sculpted cakes, intricately detailed sugar art, and large-scale gingerbread engineering that have captivated audiences across the globe."

Shelton is the founder of Steel City Bakery and Black Rose Pastries, and has appeared on several televised culinary competitions, parade organizers said.

Groups representing every corner of the world took part in the parade, said Chicago Thanksgiving Parade spokeswoman Ashley Berry.

"We have some fantastic groups from all over the world coming to Chicago this morning. We have two bands coming, actually from Mexico, and that's the first time in the history of the parade that we've had international bands traveling," Berry said.

The famous Jesse White Tumblers were also in the parade. So were three equestrian units from the Chicago Police Department and other horses from around the country.

Dude Wipes was also on hand right behind the horses with their "Poo Crew" and "Mini-Pooper" car — to keep everything clean while also engaging the juvenile sense of humor in us all.

The parade also featured floats, marching bands, and of course, giant balloons.

"Those marching bands, when you feel the rumble before you can even see the band, is probably one of my favorite parts of the parade, and always a crowd favorite," said Berry.

Berry emphasized how much people can learn from the cultural performances at the parade.

"What makes it special to me personally is how I can bring my son, and I can showcase to him all the things that are great about Chicago. We have groups from Bolivia. We have Lithuanian groups. We have groups from China, Japan, Korea that represent people living right here in the city, and they all showcase their culture in such a dynamic and colorful way," she said.

Berry also gave credit to the volunteers who bundle up to help out in the cold.

"We have about 300 volunteers that show up every year no matter what the weather is," Berry said.

Crowds lined the sidewalks before sunrise for the parade, despite this being the coldest Thanksgiving in more than a decade. This year, there were a lot of first-timers —some visiting, others new to Chicago.

"We have never been down here before. We are actually new to Chicago, only about six months we've been here," said South Side resident Ainsley Owens. "So we figured we'd come down here and experience the Thanksgiving Parade for the first time."

"I think just the excitement and the music and just everybody around and the festivities," said Calee Silva of Virginia Beach, Virginia.

In addition to the parade route itself, State Street is also closed until 1 p.m. from Ida B. Wells Drive to Roosevelt Road for staging. All east-west streets from Roosevelt Road north to Wacker Drive will also be closed at Street until noon, according to the Chicago Transit Authority.

Chicago police were out in full force to ensure extra security and eyes on the parade route, while also ensuring that street closures remained in place. Street closures were expected to lift, and people were expected to start clearing out, around noon.

CTA buses operating in the area of the parade will be detoured until about 1 p.m.