The Macy’s Day Parade started in 1924 and was originally called Macy’s Christmas Parade which kicked off holiday shopping. Store employees (many of them being immigrants) created a parade as an advertisement to attract more customers to Macy’s on Thanksgiving Day. They were inspired by European street festivals and actually included animals from the Central Park Zoo. Lions, bears, camels, and other animals roamed the streets during the parade, but people quickly realized it was too chaotic and used balloons instead.
From 1942 to 1944, the Macy’s Day Parade was paused because of WWII. During the war, they needed all the materials they could get, so the parade stopped in order to save rubber and helium for the war effort. The TV era also marks a revolutionary turning point that shaped it into a tradition we all know today. By 1948, it started being broadcasted locally, then in 1952 it went national; that’s when it turned into the tradition everybody knows today.
People line the streets of New York with an average number of 3 to 3.5 million people each year, while over 31 million people watch it on television. Modern balloons today vary between SpongeBob and Bluey to turkeys and candy canes. They are held down by 60 to 90 handlers and even more on windier days. The parade ends on the grand entrance of Santa and is considered the star of the show. Next year will be the 100th year since the parade first took off and the world is sure to see the new and improved balloons and shows.
