Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, originally called the "Macy's Christmas Parade," is an annual parade sponsored by Macy's Department Store. The event is held in New York City starting at 9:00 a.m. (Eastern Standard Time) on Thanksgiving Day.
History
In the 1920s many of Macy's department store employees were first-generation immigrants. Proud of their new American heritage, they wanted to celebrate the American holiday of Thanksgiving with the type of festival they loved in Europe. In 1924, the employees marched to Macy's flagship
store on 34th Street dressed in vibrant costumes. There were floats, professional bands and live animals borrowed from the
Central Park Zoo. With an audience of over a quarter of a million
people, the parade was such a success that Macy's declared it would become an annual event.
Large animal shaped balloons replaced the live animals in 1927 when the Felix the Cat balloon debuted. Felix was filled with air, but by the next year,
Helium was used to fill the expanding cast of balloons. One tradition long gone is the
releasing of the balloons. They would float for days and the lucky finder could claim a prize if they returned the balloon to the
Macy's.
Through the 1930s, the parade grew and grew until crowds of over 1 million lined the
parade route in 1933. The first Mickey
Mouse balloon entered the parade in 1934. The parade ceremonies were broadcast on the
radio.
The parade was suspended from 1942 - 1944 because
of World War II. Also, the rubber and helium was needed for the war effort.
The parade resumed in 1945 using the route that it still runs today. It was televised in
New York and drew over two million live spectators. In the 1950s, the Macy's Thanksgiving
Day Parade was televised nationwide.
The parade always goes on, rain or shine, although there have been mishaps with the balloons because of inclement weather. In
1971, the winds were so bad, the balloons had to be cancelled. In 1997, high winds pushed the Cat in the Hat balloon
into a lamppost. The falling debris put a parade goer in a coma for a month after her skull was fractured. Safety measures were
put in place to keep this type of accident from repeating itself.
Several broadcasts of the parade have won Emmy Awards for Outstanding
Achievement.
Resources
- Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade History". The Official Website for New York City Tourism (http://www.nyctourist.com/macys_history1.htm). Retrieved Sep. 22, 2004.
- "Parade History Timeline". Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (http://www.macys.com/campaign/parade/index.jsp#). Retrieved Sep. 22, 2004.
- "Macy's presents safer parade". CNN (http://www.cnn.com/US/9811/26/macys.parade.01/). Retrieved Sep. 22, 2004.
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