Employees, friends, and families of Macy’s sponsored the store’s first annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City in 1924, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade soon became the standard that commemorated the official start of the Christmas shopping season.
In 2013, the parade route started at 77th Street and Central Park West. The procession traveled down to Columbus Circle, turned onto Central Park South and marched down via 6th Avenue/Avenue of the Americas to 34th Street. At 34th Street, the Parade made its final turn west and ended at 7th Avenue — in front of Macy’s Herald Square.
Here’s a look at some of the floats and other action on the ground from the past few years! (Watching it on TV or browsing photos online is a lot easier than getting a good viewing location in person. People arrive as early as 6am — often in very cold weather — for the parade that goes from 9am to noon.)
Santa’s sleigh at the 2011 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Sesame Street Hooper’s Store at the 2011 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
The 87th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 2013
2007 Thanksgiving Day Parade confetti
2007 Thanksgiving Day Parade – Jolly Polly
Harajuku Girls in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 2008
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 2012
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 2013
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 2013
Miley Cyrus & Bolt parade float 2008
Photographs courtesy of: gigi_nyc, Craig, Ben W, Musicwala, Albert “Beep” Trefts III, Anthony Quintano (Creative Commons)
Sources: Macy’s, US Libaray of Congress, US Embassy