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The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (informally known as the "'''Macy's Day Parade'''") is an annual . HISTORY In the 1920s many of Macy's department store employees were second-generation Immigrants . Proud of their new American heritage, they wanted to celebrate the American holiday of Thanksgiving with the type of festival their parents had loved in Europe. In 1924, after the annual Thanksgiving parade started by Louis Bamberger in Newark, New Jersey at the Bamberger's store was transferred to New York by Macy's, the employees marched to Macy's flagship store on 34th Street dressed in vibrant costumes. There were floats, professional bands and live animals borrowed from the Central Park Zoo . At the end of that first parade, as has been the case with every parade since, Santa Claus was welcomed into Herald Square . At this first parade, however, the Jolly Old Elf was enthroned on the Macy's balcony at the 34th Street store entrance, where he was then "crowned" "King of the Kiddies." With an audience of over a quarter of a million people, the parade was such a success that Macy's declared it would become an annual event. Large animal-shaped Balloon s replaced the live animals in 1927 when the Felix The Cat balloon debuted. Felix was filled with air, but by the next year, Helium was used to fill the expanding cast of balloons. Through the 1930s, the Parade grew and grew until crowds of over 1 million lined the parade route in 1933. The first Mickey Mouse balloon entered the parade in 1934. The parade ceremonies were broadcast on local New York radio. The parade was suspended from 1942-1944 because of World War II . The rubber and helium were needed for the war effort. The parade resumed in 1945 using the route that it still runs today. The parade gained serious fame after being prominently featured in the 1947 film, '' Miracle On 34th Street ''. , the Energizer Bunny and Pikachu with Poké Ball is shown tied down before the 2006 parade.]] At the conclusion of some of the early parades, the balloons were released and floated away, often taking several days to come down. A reward of a $100 Macy's gift certificate was offered for anyone who found and returned any of the lost balloons. The 2006 parade (the 80th), included two new big balloons: Flying Ace and a Macy's balloon styled for the 80th anniversary of the parade. Other cities in the US also have parades on Thanksgiving, but they are not run by Macy's. The nation's oldest Thanksgiving parade was first held in , Seattle, Washington , Houston, Texas , Detroit, Michigan , and Fountain Hills, Arizona . New safety measures were incorporated in 2006 to prevent accidents and balloon related injuries. One measure taken was installation of wind measurement devices to alert parade organizers to any unsafe conditions that could cause the balloons to behave erratically. Also, parade officials implemented a measure to keep the balloons closer to the ground during windy conditions. BALLOONS Balloon inflation training for the parade in Giants Stadium's parking lot.]] The balloons for the parade are inflated the day before (Wednesday) on both sides of the Museum Of Natural History in New York City . The balloons are split between 77th and 81st Streets between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue. The inflation team consists of various volunteers from Macy's as well as students from Stevens Institute Of Technology , a local university in Hoboken, NJ where the balloons and floats are designed and built. The inflation is open to the public the afternoon and night before the parade. Balloon trivia
Balloon introductions
Balloonicle and Falloon introductions A Falloon ("F") is a float-based balloon. A Balloonicle ("B") is a self-powered balloon vehicle.
FLOATS
PERFORMERS AND ACTS In addition to the well-known balloons and floats, the parade also features live music and other performances. High school marching bands from across the country participate in the parade, and the television broadcasts feature performances by famous singers and bands. TELEVISION COVERAGE balloon has been flown in the parade, demonstrating the popularity of Pokémon . This balloon was used from 2001 until 2005, and a new standing Pikachu debuted in 2006.]] More than 44 million people watch the parade on television each year. NBC has been the official broadcaster of the event since 1955. For many years now the parade, which began its television appearances on CBS in 1952, has been hosted mostly by members of '' The Today Show ''. However, from 1962 to 1971 it was hosted by Lorne Greene (who was then appearing in NBC's '' Bonanza ''), and Betty White . Ed McMahon then hosted the telecast into the early 1980s. Between 1987 and 1997, the NBC telecast coverage was hosted by the Today Show's and directed by Gary Halvorson . Since 2003, parade coverage has been simulcast in Spanish on NBC-owned Telemundo . Parade coverage has won nine Emmy Award s for Outstanding Achievement in Special Event Coverage since 1979. As the Macy's parade, like most parades, occurs on public streets, NBC's coverage is not exclusive. For several years, CBS also televised portions of the parade as part of its wraparound "All-American Thanksgiving Day Parade" coverage, which includes footage from Thanksgiving parades around the country. Since then, however, the wraparound coverage has been dropped completely, and is currently marketed under the title "The Thanksgiving Day Parade on CBS." Houston, Texas and Detroit, Michigan are the largest television markets to have the parade pre-empted for locally based parades. Houston's CBS affiliate, KHOU-TV , does the annual march through downtown Houston, and WDIV-TV in Detroit pre-empts NBC coverage for that city's "America's Thanksgiving Day Parade". PARADE ROUTE The Parade originally began on 145th Street in Harlem and ended at Herald Square, a 6 1/2 mile route. The Parade adopted its current route in 1945 when NBC began televising the parade. Beginning at the intersection of 77th Street and Central Park West, the route heads south along Central Park . At Columbus Circle , the route turns onto Broadway , passes through Times Square , and continues southward to Macy's , turning west onto 34th Street , and continuing to 7th Avenue, where the floats are taken down. It is not advised to view the parade from Columbus Circle, as due to higher winds in this flat area, balloon teams race through it. The shortened Parade route offered at least one convenience: it eliminated the need for the large balloons to be carried under the elevated subway lines. Today, New York City officials preview the parade route and try to eliminate as many potential obstacles as possible, even going as far as rotating overhead traffic signals out of the way. MACY'S HOLIDAY PARADE Since 2002, Macy's Studios has partnered with Universal Studios Orlando to bring the Macy's balloons and floats from New York to the Universal Studios Florida theme park in Orlando every holiday season. The parade is performed daily and includes the iconic Santa Claus float. Performers from the Orlando area are cast as various clowns, and the park invites guests to be "balloon handlers" for the parade. {Link without Title} INCIDENTS AND INJURIES
HELIUM SHORTAGE In 2006, parade organizers decided to use fewer balloons in response to a worldwide shortage of Helium . Organizers, in fact, talked of not using any balloons at all, but decided to compromise due to public demand. NBC telecast coverage, 11/23/06 REFERENCES SEE ALSO FURTHER READING
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