Tuning Into a Thanksgiving Tradition

Many of you may have tuned into tradition along with your turkey, over your Thanksgiving break. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has been a Thanksgiving tradition for almost 90 years. In 1924, a group of Macy’s employees asked to put on a parade to celebrate their freedom and the Christmas season. Most of the first-generation immigrants wanted to show pride in their home by throwing a parade. When the parade first started, it was only two blocks long with elephants, camels, donkeys, and jazz bands. Everyone loved this parade, and Macy’s decided it would be an annual event.

As the years went on, the parade became bigger and better with floats and performances. In 1926, Norman Bel Geddes created high quality floats for the parade including Humpty Dumpty, Cinderella’s Coach, and Santa’s float for the grand finale. The zoo animals no longer appeared in the parade because it was scaring the little kids. In 1927, Tony Sarg designed some of the first large balloons. One of these was the Toy Soldier balloon that was filled with air, not helium, and propped up on sticks.

This year’s parade will be on Thursday, November 23rd, from 8:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M in New York City. If you think that is early, some people start camping out at 6 A.M. on the west side of Central Park to get a good spot along the parade path. The parade starts at 77th street and Central Park West and ends at Macy’s Herald Square.

The world’s largest parade presented by Macy’s has popular balloons that include Hello Kitty, Ronald McDonald, and Spongebob Squarepants. These balloons can be as high as a six story building, and be held and controlled by as many as 90 people. Some of the performers you might see this year include Common, Dustin Lynch, Sabrina Carpenter, and the iconic Radio City Rockettes. Not only do famous stars appear in this parade; several high school bands from all over the country will march in this famous parade, along with the New York Police Department Band, US Air Force Band, and the Macy’s Great American Marching Band. The finale of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is Santa arriving in his sleigh to signify the start of the Christmas season.

#Thanksgiving #Tradition