Here's the Story Behind the First Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
We can't necessarily explain how or why, but the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has a special way of bringing out our inner child each year. Could it be the fascinating and gigantic floats that always appear to be 100 times our size? Or maybe it's the renditions of our favorite holiday songs, performed by many of the year's popular celebrities! Either way, it's a long-standing Thanksgiving tradition that sees thousands upon thousands of people attend each year, following along on the streets of New York City. Not to mention the millions of others watching from home! (Name a better Thanksgiving activity, we'll wait!) There are an infinite amount of things to love about the November holiday, and the parade is surely one of them!
And since we're chatting about it... how much do you know about the history behind the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade? The event dates back almost 100 years at this point and it's transformed a bunch since its inception. In all, it's pretty cool to know how it all came about, so we thought we'd give the briefest of history lessons on all things related to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
When did Macy's start the Thanksgiving Day parade?
It all began at the brisk hour of 9:00 A.M., on November 27, 1924.
Funny enough, it wasn't called the "Thanksgiving Parade" at first. Even though it took place on Thanksgiving Day—Macy's branded its' first holiday event as the "Christmas Parade," advertising it as such in the local newspapers at the time. According to History.com, the goal was to get citizens of NYC (and eventually, beyond) excited for Macy's brand new, insanely large storefront. Since Macy's is a retail store, the hope was that if they market the parade around Christmas and have it located around the actual storefront, it would intrigue people to do their holiday shopping there.
Not knowing how it would play out, Macy's promised citizens of New York that they would experience "a marathon of mirth" while promoting the event in newspapers. The turnout, however, is something they could have never imagined. A reported 10,000 people ended up spectating the parade when it ended around noon. Making a bigger name for its brand that day, Macy's would see its Thanksgiving Day Parade take place every year since.
Where was the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade?
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade began in New York City (where it remains), with the first one in 1924 beginning in Harlem and ending at Macy's Flagship store in Herald Square on 34th street. (This made it a total of 6 miles long!)
Nowadays, the parade starts at West 77th Street & Central Park West and still ends at Macy's Herald Square. You can check out the parade route map for the best places to view it!
What is the oldest float in Macy's parade?
That would be Tom Turkey! You might recognize the big fella—not just because he takes the form of a massive inflatable turkey wearing a hat, but because he made his first appearance back in 1971! He's been the lead float ever since, only missing one parade in 2003. (Hey, everyone needs a break once in a while!)
When was the first televised Thanksgiving Parade?
In 1948, The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was nationally broadcasted for the first time on CBS. That was over 20 years after its inception, though it makes sense when you realize cable wasn't even invented until earlier that year.
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