as far back as I can remember, every Thanksgiving I have watched the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade on Thanksgiving day. its one of my favorite things of the Thanksgiving holiday. how about a little history on the parade..
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, often shortened to Macy's Day Parade, is an annual parade that started in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States. it's a 3 hour event that is held in New York starting at 9:00 am, and its considered the official kick off to the Christmas season.
In 1924, the parade (originally known as the Macy's Christmas Parade and later the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Christmas Parade, was staged by the store. Employees and professional entertainers marched from 145th Street in Harlem 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 Clause was welcomed into Herold Square. However, at the first parade, 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. The parade began its network television appearances on CBS in 1948, the year that regular television network programming began. NBC has been the official broadcaster of the event since 1952, though CBS (who has a studio in Times Square) also carries unauthorized coverage under the title "The Thanksgiving Day Parade on CBS.
At first, the telecasts were only an hour long. In 1961, the telecast expanded to two hours. then 90 minutes in 1962–1964, back to two hours in 1965, and by 1969, all three hours of it were being televised. The broadcasts have been in color since 1960. I have been watching the parade since I was probably 6 or 7 years old, and still to this day I am in front of the television for the start of the parade, and just like I did when I was a kid, I still get excited when I see Santa at the end of the parade, because that signifies the official start of the Christmas season, and I am ready for it this year, so bring it on!
In 1924, the parade (originally known as the Macy's Christmas Parade and later the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Christmas Parade, was staged by the store. Employees and professional entertainers marched from 145th Street in Harlem 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 Clause was welcomed into Herold Square. However, at the first parade, 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. The parade began its network television appearances on CBS in 1948, the year that regular television network programming began. NBC has been the official broadcaster of the event since 1952, though CBS (who has a studio in Times Square) also carries unauthorized coverage under the title "The Thanksgiving Day Parade on CBS.
At first, the telecasts were only an hour long. In 1961, the telecast expanded to two hours. then 90 minutes in 1962–1964, back to two hours in 1965, and by 1969, all three hours of it were being televised. The broadcasts have been in color since 1960. I have been watching the parade since I was probably 6 or 7 years old, and still to this day I am in front of the television for the start of the parade, and just like I did when I was a kid, I still get excited when I see Santa at the end of the parade, because that signifies the official start of the Christmas season, and I am ready for it this year, so bring it on!
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