Thanksgiving Arts and Entertainment

​The early 20th century was a time of mass immigration to the United States, and no city absorbed more new Americans than New York. Many found jobs at Macy's department store, which claimed to be the world's largest. In 1924, those employees decided to celebrate their pride in their new country by staging a massive parade on Thanksgiving Day.

​In their European homelands, festivals had featured colorful and musical parades, packed with onlookers dressed in the traditional clothing of the region. To celebrate their new lives in the United States, they dressed in costumes related to American stories—cowboys, clowns, and storybook characters, to name a few. In their festive getups, they marched from 145th Street in the Harlem section of Manhattan all the way down to the Macy’s flagship store on 34th Street. Floats, bands, and even 25 live animals—on loan from the Central Park Zoo—marched in the parade! Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers flocked to watch them. Macy’s was so pleased with the turnout that they decided to hold the parade again the following year. With crowds returning, it soon became an annual event!

​After discovering that the wild animals were scaring spectators, parade organizers replaced them with large balloon animals in 1927. Felix the Cat (pictured), the first character balloon, made its debut in 1931. During the 1930s, the helium-filled balloons were released at the end of the parade. If you found one in your backyard, you could turn it in to Macy’s and claim a prize! Unfortunately, most balloons popped almost immediately after being released.

The annual parade became an integral part of the holiday season and American culture. It was suspended only for one short stretch during World War II, when organizers donated the balloons’ rubber and helium to the war effort. The parade returned afterward and has been held every year since. Today, 50 million people watch it on TV each year, making it part of their Thanksgiving family tradition.​