Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Once Again Live On NYC Streets
Come One, Come All!! The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will once again be strutting its stuff on November 25.
How long has the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade been running?
The annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, started in 1924. It’s a three-hour parade in Manhattan and proceeds for about two and one-half miles along Central Park West. It starts at the Museum of Natural History area way uptown and ends outside Macy's Herald Square. It goes from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. EST on Thanksgiving Day. It has been televised nationally on NBC since 1953. In 1924, store employees marched to Macy's Herald Square, the flagship store on 34th Street, dressed in vibrant costumes. There were floats, professional bands and live animals borrowed from the Central Park Zoo. At the end of that first parade, Santa Claus was welcomed into Herald Square. Herald Square is named for a newspaper, no longer in existence, the New York Herald. A statue from the New York Herald Building can be seen in the park across from the main entrance of Macy’s. At this first parade, Santa sat on a throne on the Macy's balcony at the 34th Street store entrance, the site where he was then crowned "King of the Kiddies". With an audience of over 250,000 people, the parade was a great success. Macy's declared it would become an annual event.
The balloons were introduced in 1928, replacing live zoo animals. Large animal-shaped balloons, were produced by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in Akron, Ohio from the 1920s through 1980. Because there was no procedure to deflate the balloons, they were released. In 1928 five of the larger balloons were designed and filled with helium to rise above 2,000 feet (610 meters) and slowly deflate. Whoever caught the deflated balloons in the balloon race was awarded $100. This lasted until 1932.
What happens during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade?
The balloons in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade are of different sizes and shapes. The oldest is the novelty balloon class, consisting of smaller balloons ranging widely in size and handled by between one and thirty balloon handlers (the smallest balloons are shaped like human heads and fit on the heads of the handlers). The character balloons are the larger and more popular class primarily consisting of licensed pop-culture characters; each one is handled by exactly 90 balloon handlers. From 2005 to 2012, a third balloon class, the "Blue Sky Gallery", transformed the works of contemporary artists into full-size balloons; after a five-year hiatus, the Blue Sky Gallery returned in 2018.
Floats contain cartoon characters and celebrity performers, singers and dancers. Broadway show performers entertain the multitudes in front of Macy’s. Some of the top award-winning high school marching bands through out the country provide the festive music. I’ve seen bands as far away as Hawaii marching in the parade. All the bands are given different rehearsal schedules. The bands can be seen outside Macy’s in the middle of the night, perfecting their music, way before the start of the parade. And the parade always ends with Santa Claus welcoming in the Christmas season.
Where’s the best place to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade?
There are many different areas along the parade route from which to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. It does get very crowded so it’s best to stake out your location really early. I have been there with tour groups at 5:00 a.m. to grab a good spot. It’s cold so dress warmly. This year there might be new health and safety protocols so be sure to check their website before making your way to see the parade.
