10 things you didn’t know about the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
By 6sqft-dev-admin
March 9, 2023
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has been a beloved holiday tradition for nearly a century. Millions of people tune in each year to watch the larger-than-life floats, performances, and of course, the iconic balloons. But did you know these 10 things about the parade?
- The first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade took place in 1924 and featured live animals from the Central Park Zoo.
- The parade was originally called the “Macy’s Christmas Parade” until 1927 when the name was changed to reflect the Thanksgiving holiday.
- The balloons used in the parade are filled with helium and can take up to 90 minutes to inflate.
- The first balloon character in the parade was Felix the Cat in 1927.
- The parade was suspended during World War II from 1942 to 1944 due to rubber and helium shortages.
- In 1958, the parade was broadcast on television for the first time and has been a television staple ever since.
- The parade route is 2.5 miles long and takes approximately three hours to complete.
- In 1963, the parade was postponed until the following day in honor of President John F. Kennedy’s funeral.
- The largest balloon in parade history was the 2005 “Joey” balloon, based on the main character in the Broadway musical War Horse, which measured 100 feet long, 50 feet wide, and 40 feet tall.
- The parade features over 8,000 participants, including performers, balloon handlers, and marching bands, and requires over 2,000 volunteers to put on each year.
These are just a few of the many fascinating facts about the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which has become an iconic part of American culture and a beloved holiday tradition for generations.
