100 years of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Eugene Gologursky // Getty Images for Macy’s, Inc.
100 years of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Tom Turkey, a large, gilded turkey statue upon a float with the words, Macy’s Parade, waiting for the parade to start during the 96th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2022.
The 98th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade coverage is slated from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. EST Thursday, Nov. 28. This year’s event will feature 28 clown crews, 26 floats, 16 giant balloons, 11 marching bands, five performance groups, three “baloonicles”—cold-air inflatables driven down the parade route, and numerous performers.
Stacker curated a selection of photographs from the past century of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade to help illustrate the history of the iconic event.
The parade in New York City, presented by department store chain Macy’s, was first held in 1924 under the heading “Macy’s Christmas Parade” to promote holiday sales and spotlight the newly expanded and, at the time, largest in the world Herald Square store in Manhattan. The success of the event led organizers to turn the spectacle into an annual tradition. Each year, the parade ends outside the same Herald Square Macy’s location.
The event has been televised nationally since 1953 on NBC.
The parade at first featured Central Park Zoo animals escorted by Macy’s employees and professional entertainers for 6 miles from 145th Street in north Manhattan’s Harlem to Macy’s. A quarter of a million onlookers lined the streets. Real animals were replaced with balloons in 1927; that same year, the name of the event was changed to Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
The longest-running parade float is the event’s unofficial mascot, Tom Turkey. Tom features moving wings, head, and eyes and usually functions as the lead float in the parade. Bringing up the caboose in virtually all the parades is Santa Claus who ushers in the holiday shopping season with his arrival at Macy’s Herald Square.
The parade offers a glimpse into pop culture of the time, from beloved children’s entertainment to hit Broadway shows and musical acts. The Radio City Rockettes, formed in 1925, have performed in the parade annually since 1957.
In 1933, the outside temperature was 69 degrees F, the warmest it’s been; 2018 was the coldest day in parade history at 19 degrees F.
In 2022, for the first time, the event featured a trio of women hosts. Today, more than 44 million people tune in to watch the parade. Keep reading to learn more about the parade’s history and see some iconic shots of the event.
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Bettmann // Getty Images
1924: Macy’s first parade
Crowds on Broadway watch a parade float with Santa Claus seated atop a large globe being led by polar bears statues.
In Macy’s first Thanksgiving parade, Santa Claus sat atop a float pulled by a team of horses down Broadway. That year floats, bands, and Central Park Zoo animals were featured in the procession.
At the parade’s end, Santa Claus was crowned “King of the Kiddies” on Macy’s balcony at the 34th Street entrance. Macy’s quickly announced the parade would be an annual event.
Underwood Archives // Getty Images
1928: Fish and tigers
A group of clowns holding two huge balloons, one a tiger and the other a fish with sharp teeth, make their way through crowds along Broadway.
The large balloons that replaced live zoo animals in 1927 were filled with regular air and had no release valves—they were simply let go to pop in the air following the parade. 1928 marked the first year of Macy’s inflating balloons with helium to allow them to float. They were also outfitted with valves so the helium could gradually escape rather than waiting for the balloon to inevitably pop, and featured a return address so anyone who found them could return them and receive a reward.
In this photo from 1928, a 35-foot fish and 60-foot-long tiger were featured prominently in the parade. A $100 prize was offered for each balloon recovered after its release.
Bettmann // Getty Images
1931: Hippo on parade
A hippopotamus balloon makes it way down Broadway, followed by a squirrel, and other balloons.
The Thanksgiving parade enjoyed rapid growth throughout the 1930s, with more than 1 million revelors lining the parade route in 1933. In this 1931 photo, a giant hippopotamus balloon makes its way down Broadway. A blue hippo balloon—possibly this one—released after the parade was still at large several days later, thought to be somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean.
George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images
1932: Balloon mishaps end rewards
Balloons are led down Broadway in 1932.
In this image, the Felix the Cat balloon is led down Broadway by its four handlers tailed by Terrible Turk and Willie Red Bird. The original Felix the Cat character balloon made its parade debut in 1927, but was destroyed after its post-parade release by a high tension wire in 1931. The Terrible Turk also was destroyed the same year by an electric sign.
In 1932, Macy’s Tom Cat balloon got stuck in the propeller of a plane when the aviator flying the plane tried recovering the balloon for a reward. While the plane eventually landed safely, that event marked the final year of releasing balloons after the parades and offering prizes for their return to Macy’s.
Camerique // Getty Images
1939: View from the top
Pinocchio, The Tin Man, and Uncle Sam balloons photographed from an office building. The balloons reach above the the seven-storey building they are passing.
Pinnochio, Tin Man, and Uncle Sam make their way along the parade route in 1939. Mickey Mouse made his debut five years earlier with a balloon designed in part by Walt Disney; Mickey’s handlers were also dressed as mice. New iterations of Mickey appeared over the next 70 years as the character evolved.
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was canceled from 1942-1944 because of supply shortages during World War II, namely helium and rubber. Festivities returned in 1945. The Christmas classic “Miracle on 34th Street” was released in 1947 and prominently features actual footage from the 1946 parade. 1948 marked the parade’s first network television broadcast.
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Bettmann // Getty Images
1949: Teddy bear on parade
A Teddy Bear balloon floats over Times Square.
The 23rd annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was held Nov. 24, 1949. In this photo, a teddy bear makes its way through Times Square. This parade marked the second appearance for the bear. Other balloons made their debut: Freida the Dachshund, Howdy Doody on the Flying Trapeze, and Macy’s Hobo Clown.
Bettmann // Getty Images
1952: Space explorer
A giant spaceman balloon floats down street, passing The Times Subway Station.
Macy’s original character The Giant Spaceman made his debut in 1952’s parade, measuring 70 feet long and 40 feet wide and weighing 600 pounds. More than 25 gallons of paint went into painting the astronaut.
An estimated 2.25 million people lined the streets for the festivities that year.
Bettmann // Getty Images
1955: Flying high
Mighty Mouse and the Space Ship float make their way through Times Square.
Throngs of onlookers pack the sidewalks in Manhattan’s Times Square during this 1955 parade. Mighty Mouse, an animated superhero created by Terrytoons, is seen in the back left of the photo. Mighty Mouse made his debut in the Thanksgiving Day parade in 1951; he appeared in 80 short films between 1942-1961.
Bettmann // Getty Images
1958: ‘I am what I am’
The Popeye balloon makes its way through Times Square.
Popeye makes his way through Times Square in the 1959 parade. A year earlier, another helium shortage meant balloons were inflated with air and hung from construction cranes to make their way through the parade route.
Also in 1958, the first celebrity performances were added with the Benny Goodman sextet. Live music proved a challenge technically and logistically. The parade was transitioning to the now-familiar lip syncing by 1964.
William Lovelace/Daily Express/Hulton Archive // Getty
1961: Peacockery
A woman sits on a peacock float in the parade.
The iconic peacock float makes its debut in this photo of the 1961 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. That same year, Miss Teenage America Diane Lynn Cox appeared in princess attire sharing a float with “Prince Charming” actor Troy Donahue.
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Archive Photos/Getty Images
1961: ‘A Fantasy of Christmas’
Rollerskating teens perform in front of Macy’s.
Teen performers appear in classic roller skates in this image from the 1961 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The sign above the skaters reads “Macy’s presents A Fantasy of Christmas in New York.”
William Lovelace/Express // Getty Images
1961: Shoulder to shoulder
A crowd of children stand along police barricade to watch the parade.
This 1961 photo shows shoulder-to-shoulder parade onlookers at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The year marks the first balloon featuring Bullwinkle Moose and the first year for floats with Pinocchio, The Racetrack Grandstand, Cinderella, Peacock, Ferris Wheel, Brigadoon, Meet the Mets, and Santa’s Sleigh.
Several years later, in 1968, Macy’s creative team figured out how to design floats up to 40 feet tall and 28 feet wide that could fold into 12.5-by-8-foot boxes for strategic transportation from New Jersey to Manhattan via the Lincoln Tunnel.
Stan Wolfson/Newsday RM via Getty Images
1972: ‘Hey, Rocky!’
A Bullwinkle Moose balloon floats down Broadway.
A Bullwinkle Moose balloon floats down Broadway in this 1972 photograph of the parade. The 46th annual parade featured five firsts for floats: Alphabet Blocks, Snow Mountain, Windmill, Curious George, and Santa’s Holiday Home.
Bill Senft // Newsday RM via Getty Images
1974: A ‘hareless’ tortoise
Street view of a tortoise float near Columbus Circle.
A solo tortoise float makes its way down the street near Columbus Circle in this 1974 parade photo. Not pictured is the accompanying hare. This marked the seventh appearance of the duo.
Bettmann // Getty Images
1982: It’s not easy being green
A giant inflatable balloon of Kermit the Frog makes its way down the parade route.
A giant inflatable balloon of Kermit the Frog makes its way down the 1982 parade route in this photo. The parade marked Kermit’s sixth appearance. First-time balloons included Olive Oyl and Woody Woodpecker.
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Bettmann // Getty Images
1989: Woody Woodpecker is a crowd favorite
Woody Woodpecker balloon floating through Times Square.
Woody Woodpecker greets the crowd as he floats past One Times Square during the 63rd annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1989. In the coming years, safety concerns troubled ’90s-era parades—namely the wind.
Strong gusts in 1993 pushed a Sonic the Hedgehog balloon into a Columbus Circle lamppost that broke and hurt a child and off-duty police officer. Four years later, intense winds caused a Cat in the Hat balloon to hit a lamppost, hurling debris into the air that fractured the skull of a spectator who spent 24 days in a coma. The incident, among others, led then-New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani to form a task force.
Evan Agostini/Liaison // Getty Images
1995: ‘Soaring Spirit’
The Soaring Spirit Canoe float in the 69th Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade.
The Soaring Spirit Canoe float, pictured here in 1995, made its debut in the parade in 1986. Popular ’90s balloons included Bart Simpson, Cat in the Hat, and The Rugrats.
STAN HONDA/AFP via Getty Images
2001: 9/11 looms large
New York City Police Department officers carry large American flags in Times Square.
New York City first responders carry two American flags during the Nov. 22, 2001, 75th Anniversary of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which was also held on the heels of 9/11. They honored those killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that year. New Yorkers crowded the streets to watch the parade, which featured 15 giant balloons and marching bands that all added an air of patriotism to the event.
TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images
2005: Dora’s debut
Dora the Explorer float moving down Broadway.
Dora the Explorer makes her balloon debut in this 2005 photo. That same year, the M&M‘s chocolate candies balloon collided with a streetlight in Times Square, and debris from it injured two siblings.
Michael Nagle // Getty Images
2011: Elf sprinkles
A woman dressed in an elf costume sprinkles young spectators with confetti.
A woman dressed in an elf costume sprinkles spectators with confetti in Times Square during Macy’s 85th Thanksgiving Day parade on Nov. 24, 2011. Sonic the Hedgehog and Julius the sock monkey, which was created by Paul Frank, made their balloon entrances that year.
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James Devaney/WireImage // Getty Images
2015: Familiar faces
View of Snoopy and Woodstock balloon with a building in background.
Snoopy and Woodstock made their way along the 89th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade route Nov. 26, 2015. To date, Snoopy boasts the most years flown as a character balloon in the event.
Noam Galai // Getty Images
2016: A most massive audience
A spectator records the Spongebob Squarepants balloon on a smartphone.
In this 2016 photo, spectators like this one recorded videos of the parade on their phones. More than 24 million people were estimated to have streamed the parade that year on TV.
Dia Dipasupil // Getty Images
2017: Pikachu and so much more
The Pikachu balloon floats down Central Park West on a bright and clear day.
The Pikachu balloon floats down Central Park West for its fourth time during the 91st annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2017. That year’s lineup featured 1,100 cheerleaders and dancers, more than 1,000 clowns, 28 legacy balloons, 26 floats, 17 giant helium balloons, 12 marching bands, and six performance groups.
Eugene Gologursky // Getty Images for Macy’s Inc.
2020: The show must go on
Performers with masks covering their mouths and noses, prepare for a televised parade during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Performers in this photo prepare at the 94th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Nov. 26, 2020. The event was one of few public occasions to be kept on schedule during the COVID-19 pandemic, albeit in a tempered manner. Much of the performances were pre-taped and the parade route was massively reduced. Participants wore masks and balloon handlers were cut by nearly 90%.
James Devaney // Getty Images
2023: 97 years
Santa Claus and an elf sit on a float in a sleigh pulled by reindeer.
Santa Claus celebrates at the 97th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in this photo from Nov. 23, 2023. First-time giant balloons included Beagle Scout Snoopy, Leo (Netflix), Monkey D. Luffy, Po from “Kung Fu Panda,” and The Pillsbury Doughboy.
Copy editing by Lois Hince.
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