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. The rubber and helium were 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.
Parade Route
- The parade starts at the American Museum of Natural History, on 77th and 81st Sts. at Central Park West. It heads south alongside Central Park. The balloons are held close to the ground, to avoid trees and crosswinds as much as possible. At Columbus Circle (on the southwest corner of Central Park), the parade turns onto Broadway.
- At this point, the balloons are raised to their full height. The parade continues southeast, through Times Square, to the Macy's building at Herald Square (where Broadway intersects with 34th St. and the Avenue of the Americas).
- There's a right turn onto 34th St, and another right onto 7th Ave, where the balloons and floats are taken down and packed up. [1]
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