Attracting more than 3.5 million people to the streets of New York City each year, as well as 50 million TV viewers nationwide, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The first-ever Macy’s Day Parade took place on Christmas of 1924.
Macy’s employees dressed asclowns, cowboys, and other fun costumes and traveled with Central Park zoo animals and creative floats a lengthy six miles from Herald Square to Harlem in Manhattan. More than 250,000 people attended the inaugural Macy’s Day Parade. It was decided that this NYC parade would become an annual NY event in Manhattan...
Top Ten Things You Didn’t Know...
1. In 1927, Felix the Cat became the first giant balloon to ever take part in theMacy’s Day Parade. Felix was inflated with helium and didn’t have a plan to be deflated. NYC parade organizers simply let Felix fly off into the sky. Sadly, he popped soon after.
2. The parade route originally started from 145thStreet in Harlem and ended at Herald Square, making a 6-mile route. The new parade route is 2.65 miles startingat Central Park West to Sixth Avenue.
3. The first broadcast took place on the radio in 1932. The first televised broadcast of the parade happened in 1946 on NBC.
4. From 1942 to 1944, the parade was canceled because of the shortage of helium and rubber during World War II. The parade returned in 1945.
5. In 1957, when Popeye the Sailor’s hat filled with water and spilled onto spectators. The balloon hat was remade to prevent a repeat occurrence, the same thing would happen five years later when rainwater had collected in Donald Duck’s hat gave bystanders an impromptu cold shower.
6. Macy’s is the world’s second largest consumer of helium. The United States government is the first.
7. In 1990, Macy’s introduces a new spectacle with the “falloon” – a cold-air balloon that originates from a float in the parade. The first balloons bring to life characters from The Wizard of Oz and Paddington Bear.
8. This year will be celebrating 90th Anniversary of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
9. More than 8,000 people participate in the parade, including clowns, balloon handlers and marching bands. The line-up features 17 giant character balloons, 27 floats, over 1,000 cheerleader and dancers, over 1000 clowns, 12 marching bands, many celebrities such as Santa Claus!
10. In 2002, Little Bill, the animated Nickelodeon character created by Bill Cosby, becomes the first African-American character depicted in a Macy’s Parade balloon.
