The holiday season in New York City is one of the most amazing and indescribable times of the year for many people. The sights of big, bright, shiny lights, decorated buildings and a cold nip in the blowing air really make the city the greatest in the world. All of the tourist attractions and holiday activities are endless, and the possibilities of what to do change every year.
One of the biggest and most favorite time-honored traditions is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. This year the 87th annual parade was held on Thursday Nov. 28th, making the first year all the way back in 1924. The parade was first organized by Macy’s employees and featured Central Park Zoo animals.
Today the parade brings in over 3.5 million people to New York City to watch the event in person, and over 50 million additional people sitting down while the turkey is cooking, potatoes are being mashed, and fruit pies baking, watching live TV coverage in the comfort of their own homes.
The annual tradition of huge, helium-filled floating rubber balloons was started in 1927 with Felix the Cat as the first, in what, back then, was originally called the Macy’s Christmas Parade. Macy’s actually used to let the balloons float away at the end of the parade, and anyone lucky enough to find one could call Macy’s, return the balloon, and receive a gift. This tradition, of course, no longer occurs today, but many things have stayed the same.
The parade always happens on Thanksgiving Day, and has always been America’s largest parade. The parade has also always been manned by Macy employees and ends in front of Macy’s at the famous Herald Square.
1934 debuted the first Mickey Mouse balloon when Macy’s decided to collaborate with Walt Disney. The first live TV broadcast was in 1947, with the year before breaking a record of over two million tourists along the parade route in New York City. Since then, the televised event has won Emmy’s and has turned into an even bigger international attraction.
Today the parade is filled with singers and famous celebrities, along with floats and balloons showcasing some of the biggest characters on TV. The 2013 balloon lineup includes Hello Kitty, Buzz Lightyear, Papa Smurf, Snoopy and Woodstock, Spiderman, Ronald McDonald, the Pillsbury Doughboy, and many more. The balloon with the most number of handlers this year is Pikachu with 106 handlers, and the famous beloved “Pokemon,” towering over 4 stories tall. This eccentric yellow balloon has been part of the parade since 2006. There will also be famous appearances from Kellie Pickler, Ariana Grande, Miss America 2014, Gavin Degraw, The “Duck Dynasty” Family, and many more.
The parade was, of course, also filled with marching bands, cheering and dance groups, and clowns. The parade kicked off at the corner of 77th and Central Park West at 9am, and finally arrived at Macy’s Herald Square over 2 miles down the road after a long day of fun and excitement. The parade also has an Instagram and Twitter @Macys and #MacysParade.
