We all know the feeling. It’s Thanksgiving morning, and you just got all dressed up to sit with people you’ve known for 10+ years and stuff your faces, laugh and reminisce. But, dinner isn’t quite ready yet. It feels weird to be on your phone all morning while surrounded by loved ones, but you’re not quite ready to answer for the 25th time: “How is school going? Do you have a boyfriend yet? What’s your major again?”. So, you turn your attention to the TV. Puppy Bowl is over, you slept through that, so it’s time for the Macy’s Day Parade. For something so iconic, how do I know nothing about it?
The first parade
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade started in 1924 and was originally called the Macy’s Christmas Parade. Beginning in the Roaring ‘20s, this was a time of great prosperity and celebration. This parade was planned mainly by Macy’s employees, who emigrated from places where large-scale celebrations like this were common, and they longed for a taste of home.
Macy’s went public in 1922, so this was a time of great prosperity for the company. They invested in the “World’s Largest Store” with one million square feet of retail space at the famous Herald Square location. They used their store on W 34th St. to host a parade and celebrate withall of New York. Even though it was on Thanksgiving morning, the first parade was actually Christmas themed. Macy’s hoped that this would inspire Christmas shoppers to start early and be reminded of all the goodies in Macy’s.
While this idea of a parade organized completely by a retailer might seem odd, Macy’s actually wasn’t the first. In 1920, Philadelphia’s Gimbel Brothers Department Store planned a Thanksgiving parade on a smaller scale. This parade had about 50 people and 15 cars, ending with a Santa Claus car complete with wrapping paper. Gimbel’s no longer exists, closing their doors in 1986 due to low performance and high shoplifting rates.
General History
Although it started in 1924, it wasn’t until a decade later that the parade really became what we all know it is today. 1934 was the first year celebrities were involved when previously it was just Macy’s employees. This was also the year that Mickey Mouse made his balloon display.
The now-widely broadcasted parade has such a cultural impact on Americans on Thanksgiving now, becoming a staple to have on in the background, but it wasn’t until 1946 that it was televised at all, and even then it was only within New York. Before this, the event would be talked about on the radio, but the impact was not as wide as we know it to be now.
The balloons we look forward to every year have always been a part of this tradition, but in the beginning, the balloons were let go after the parade. Whoever found the balloons afterwards was rewarded with a Macy’s gift card or prize.
This ended in 1932 when an airplane was attempting to capture a balloon and almost crashed, despite the fact that in 1931, retrieval by airplane was banned.
From 1942 until 1944, the parade was called off due to a shortage in helium and rubber during WWII. Those have been the only times the parade has been called off, despite other years having extreme wind, the “Great Balloon Massacre” of 1997, many injuries and much more.
PRESENT day
In 2020, the parade still happened, but there were no marching bands, no balloons and very few spectators due to the pandemic. The event was still televised by NBC, who has the rights over the parade and its broadcasting.
This year, Macy’s is celebrating its 95th annual parade, and spectators are allowed back in, overall the parade is expected to be back in its full glory.
The Macy’s Day Parade is such a cultural phenomenon, to the point where it is almost synonymous with Thanksgiving, and despite it changing so much over the years, people still love it. I know I’ll be watching it very soon, will you be joining me?