Who Loves a Parade?
By: Hope Wilkos, Writer/Blogger
Just as waking up at the crack of dawn to see all the glistening gifts that Santa brought to the family is symbolic of Christmas, so is getting up early to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on none other than Thanksgiving morning.
It’s hard to believe but this annual event has been in existence since 1924 thus making it one of the oldest Thanksgiving Day parades in the United States. It begins at 9:00 A.M. Eastern Standard Time and goes on for three hours through the streets of New York City. The earliest route found floats and bands starting at 145th Street in Harlem and ending at Herald Square, a 6-mile route. For the purpose of providing more space for the parade and more viewing space for spectators, the route was changed in 2009. Starting out at 77th Street and Central Park West, the parade twists and winds throughout the city and comes to an end near 34th and 7th.
The tradition was a direct result of Macy’s employees in the 1920’s, mostly first-generation immigrants. Taking on a new heritage, they were proud to be Americans and felt a celebration was in order. What better way than a parade with entertainers, colorful costumes, live animals on loan from Central Park Zoo, marching bands and floats. We know that it is a tradition that the parade comes to a close with a visit from Santa rolling in on his sleigh guided by his procession of reindeer led by Rudolph but the very first year, Santa was on a throne atop the Macy’s balcony at the 34th Street entrance and crowned “King of the Kiddies”. He drew in thousands of onlookers making it an overwhelming success and decisively a must-do event year after year.
Live zoo animals were replaced with animated float animals in 1927. Felix the Cat was one of the first to go down in history. The balloons went through some experimentation before the staff decided on helium to fill them. Each year the floats were more and more creative and larger drawing excitement from both kids and adults. Between 1942-1944, the parade was suspended as we fought World War II. Helium and rubber had to be redirected to the war effort. But in 1945, the parade was back with a fervor.
The first television broadcast of the parade was in 1948 on CBS but as of 1955, NBC became the official broadcaster. There have been numerous hosts over the years but NBC Today Show hosts have become somewhat permanent fixtures over the last few years. (Matt Lauer, Ann Curry and Al Roker).
We have seen the likes of Rocky and Bullwinkle, Babar the Elephant, Curious George, Bugs Bunny, Dora the Explorer, Scooby Doo, Garfield, Superman, Mickey Mouse and an endless cast of characters. Great effort and intricate detail goes into making sure that each float amazes and captures the attention of all the onlookers. Year after year, top name performers entertain the crowds and make it worthwhile to come out in the wee hours of the chilly morning in anticipation. Most every show on Broadway has done some sort of skit in front of Macy’s on a makeshift stage putting the crowds in a festive holiday mood with their dancing and singing.
This year marks the 85th anniversary. Get ready to see Neil Diamond, Daniel Radcliffe, some of the cast of ‘Modern Family’, Rodney Atkins, Mary J. Blige, Cee Lo Green, Avril Lavigne, Scotty McCreery, Elle Macpherson, cast members of Broadway plays and other surprises. Featured will be over 10,000 participants and the parade will be viewed by close to 3.5 million live spectators and 50 million watching from their living rooms.
We all look forward to this family tradition and it is positively as American as Apple Pie!
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