Thanksgiving is filled with many traditions for Americans. The day is filled with food, football and family. Many families kick off the holiday each year by watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The parade is filled with balloons of everyone’s favorite book and movie characters as well as floats, music and dancers.
Originally known as the Macy’s Christmas Parade, the parade was created in 1924 by Macy’s employees to showcase the opening of the “World’s Largest Store.” The parade was initially created to get people excited about the Christmas season and stimulate more holiday shopping. Gaining lots of traction and success, the parade became an annual event. What started as a promotional event turned into something much more than anyone could have imagined.
When the parade first began it featured real-life animals from the Central Park Zoo. In 1927, “Felix the Cat” debuted as the first balloon in the parade. When the balloons were first introduced, workers were instructed to release the balloons into the air at the end of the parade. Due to complications with safety and environmental issues, the parade stopped releasing balloons in 1932. Since then, there have been countless other balloons getting bigger, better and more environmentally friendly each year.
The parade not only includes larger-than-life balloons but also various performances by singers on floats, dancers – such as the well-known Rockettes – and promotional numbers of plays and musicals. This is a great display of American culture and recognition of the arts and music.
The 98th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade will be held on Nov. 28 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. EST, broadcast live on NBC and Peacock. This year’s parade will include 32 balloons, 27 floats, a plethora of musical stars and more. It will be hosted by Savannah Gutherie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker.
This American tradition brings people of all ages together to celebrate the holiday all about being grateful and counting blessings. It is important to remember that keeping traditions, such as the parade, alive gives people hope and provides joy during the holiday season.
