The 89-Year Evolution Of The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
By Jennifer Michalski, Kirsten Acuna And Christina Austin Reuters From Business Insider
The 87th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will kick off on Thursday, Nov. 28.
Over the past 89 years, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has become an irreplaceable staple of Thanksgiving festivities.
Every year, 3.5 million people flock to the streets of Manhattan to see the parade in-person and 50 million people gather around their television sets to watch the parade from home.
What began as a small Macy’s employee-run event called Macy’s Christmas Parade, has morphed into a huge production that requires almost an entire year’s worth of preparation.
From the parade’s first character balloon, Felix the Cat, and its original route that started at 145th street, to this year’s spectacle, which will feature appearances from Fall Out Boy, Florida Georgia Line, and the Robertson family of “Ducky Dynasty,” the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade continues to be a sight to see.
The first Macy’s Day Parade was on November 27 in 1924. The parade originally featured Macy’s employees and live animals from the Central Park Zoo. Floats, instead of balloons, were the main attraction.
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