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America’s Favorite Parade

It’s more than a spectacle. It’s a beloved national tradition. As the aroma of roasting turkey fills the air in homes all across America, millions of families and friends sit down together to enjoy the magic of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

So, where did this great American institution come from, and how does it come together year after year?

“A lot of people think we dust off the balloons and floats a few days before Thanksgiving, and we’re ready to go,” says parade Executive Producer and Grand Marshal Amy Kule. “But it’s actually a year-round effort by hundreds—ultimately thousands—of Macy’s employees that’s entirely produced by our own artists and craftspeople. And the Monday after Thanksgiving, we’re all back at work, ready to start in on next year’s parade.”

It’s been a home-grown affair ever since it began in 1924, when a group Macy’s employees, mostly immigrants and first-generation Americans, gathered on the corner of 145th Street and Convent Avenue in New York City. It was Thanksgiving day, and this was their Christmas party—and their chance to give thanks to America. What they couldn’t have known was that they were creating one of the nation’s most enduring and best-loved holiday celebrations.

“It’s pretty amazing to be part of that tradition almost a century later,” says Amy Kule. “You can still feel that same spirit of gratitude, wonder and fun that started it all. This isn’t just a parade. It’s really our gift to the world.”

The 24-Hour Countdown

During those final 24 hours before Thanksgiving, while you’re polishing the silverware, pulling out the turkey platter, and getting the meal together, 4,000 volunteers, some of whom fly in just for the occasion, are racing to get all the floats and balloons from Hoboken to the Upper West Side and putting the finishing touches on the parade.

Wednesday, noon - Balloon Inflation

For a nearly a million people who line Central Park West, the day-before spectacle of balloon inflation is a must-see event. It takes about half an hour to fill each balloon—and four trailer trucks of helium! Depending on the balloon, the feet might be filled with a mix of helium and air, so they float lower than the head.

Midnight - Through the Lincoln Tunnel

To make the journey from Hoboken to Manhattan, the entire parade has to pass through the eye of a very small needle: the Lincoln Tunnel. The massive floats, each a miniature theater, must be carefully designed to fold up and break down to fit on trailers no more than 8’ wide and 12’ 6” wide.

Thursday, 1:00 a.m. - Float Assembly

The convoy of trucks arrive on Central Park West, with each float in the order in which it will appear. Working fast in the dark of night, the overnight crew puts the floats together, testing to make sure they’re properly and safely assembled with all of their animation working perfectly.

2:00 a.m. - Many hands make lights move

In a five-hour process that takes place all along the streets of the parade route, a team of technicians repositions hundreds of specially designed New York lampposts and traffic signals so they are parallel to the curb to make room for the passing balloons and floats.

3:00 a.m. - Rehearsal on 34th Street

The bands and show numbers do a fully costumed dress-rehearsal for the television cameras. Every move is choreographed and timed to the second to make the telecast clock in at exactly three hours.

9:00 a.m. - It’s Showtime!

With the traditional words, “Let’s have a parade!” and the official ribbon cutting, the festivities begin at the stroke of 9:00. As soon as each float and balloon arrives at the end point it is quickly dismantled or deflated and packed up for the journey home. By late afternoon, the entire show is neatly stored at the Parade Studio for next year.

Noon

As they pass in front of Macy’s, Santa and his reindeer always mark the end of the parade—and the official start of the holiday season.