How to Watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
It may be hard to believe, but this year, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, as well as America’s Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit, are both almost 100 years old! This year marks the 98th year for both holiday traditions. If you want to know more about Macy’s annual parade, keep reading!
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City began in 1924 and has been televised since 1953. The parade began as a way to showcase Macy’s flagship store which was expanded in 1924 to become the “World’s Largest Store,” with 1 million square feet of retail space. To celebrate, Macy’s planned a parade for Thanksgiving morning to entice people to come shop at Macy’s for their holiday gifts. For the very first parade, Macy’s decided on a nursery rhyme theme to match their Christmas window display.
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There were floats designed to match nursery rhyme stories, including Mother Goose, Little Miss Muffet, and Little Red Riding Hood. Macy’s employees joined the parade dressed as clowns, cowboys, and other fun characters. There were even live animals borrowed from the Central Park Zoo, and bringing up the rear was Santa Claus himself, who would officially kick off the holiday season. The parade was a success and continued the following year, but by 1927, the animals were excluded due to the safety of the marchers and guests, as well as the fair treatment of the animals. They were replaced by character balloons, which soon became the most beloved part of the parade.
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From 1942 to 1944, the parade took a hiatus due to World War II because rubber and helium were needed for the war. Of course, in 2020 the parade was downsized and not open to the public due to the pandemic as well. Those years aside, it has marched on throughout the years and became nationwide in the late ’40s after being featured in the 1947 film Miracle on 34th Street.
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Over the years, there have been some iconic floats and balloons. Some of the most popular have been the Macy’s Star Balloons, Snoopy, Garfield, and Spongebob Squarepants. The parade will air on NBC and Peacock from 8:30am to 12pm in all time zones. An encore presentation will air at 2pm.
Tell us, do you tune in to watch one of the Thanksgiving parades each year?
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