The History of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Every year millions of people, gather at 77th Street and Central Park West in New York to witness the start of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The parade proceeds down Columbus Circle and turns onto Broadway where crowds gather to watch the Thanksgiving Day event. But how did this tradition start?

It actually stems from European tradition. In the 1920's, many of Macy's Department Store employees were first generation immigrants. They were proud of their new American heritage, they decided to celebrate the American holiday with the type of festival they enjoyed in Europe. They paraded from 145th Street down to 34th Street dressed as cowboys, clowns, sheiks and knights. There were floats, bands and 25 live animals borrowed from the Central Park Zoo.

In 1927, Macy's replaced the live animals in the parade with it's now signature giant helium balloons, out of concern for children standing on the streets watching. The first balloons included Felix the Cat, a dragon, an elephant and toy soldier.

Through the 1930's, the parade grew and grew. Depression-era crowds over one million lined the parade route. New balloons such as Walt Disney characters were among favorites. Radio audiences across the nation were able to hear the ceremonies as Santa arrived at 34th Street. Santa Claus has ended the parade every year except in 1933, the only year he led the parade.

The 1933 parade was the first ever recorded for newsreels and then shown in theatres around the world. In the 1940's, the parade saw it's premature end. People were not celebrating during World War II; also, the rubber and helium could not be wasted. At the start of the war, Macy's donated the balloons that were made of rubber at the time, to the government rubber surplus heap.

The parade finally resumed in 1945, and was televised in New York. This also was the year it began the route it still runs today. In 1947, the holiday classic, "Miracle on 34th Street", brought the parade's wonder to theatres worldwide. It also became a time when celebrities began participating in the parade such as Sid Ceasar, Danny Kaye, and even Howdy Doody made appearances.

In 1948 NBC began telecasting the parade nationwide, as viewers from coast-to-coast began referring to the parade as the "Macy's Day Parade." In 1958, the U.S. Government asked Macy's to reduce the usage of helium. Macy's decided to inflate the balloons with air and hoist them on trucks with cranes for the journey down Broadway. In 1969, the Macy's Parade Studio moved to its current home in Hoboken, New Jersey in a former Tootsie Roll factory.

Jean McFadden took the helm of the parade in 1977, she was then known as the "parade lady". She led the parade for the next 24 years. In the 1980's the smaller "novelty" balloons were introduced, including the Macy's stars and the 30 ft triple scoop ice cream cone. At this time, "Falloons" were also introduced. They were a combination of float and cold air balloon.

Today Macy's is the world's second largest consumer of helium, coming in behind the United States Government. More than 300,000 Macy's employees have participated in the parade in the history of the event. In 2004 Macy's, the "Ballonide" a combination cold air balloon and self-propelled vehicle, introduced a new parade innovation.

Through the years, adults and children have enjoyed many of their favorite characters in the form of balloons such as Snoopy, Kermit the Frog, and Superman. Macy's continues to develop increasingly fascinating floats and balloons each year.