Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade | |
---|---|
Presented by | |
Opening theme | "Theme from New York, New York" (2015-present) |
Ending theme | "Santa Claus Arrives to the Parade" |
Composers |
|
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of episodes | 97 (as of November 24, 2023) |
Production | |
Executive producer | Brad Lachman (1994–present) |
Production locations | multi-camera |
Running time | 1945–1960: 1 hours (with commercials) 1961, 1965-1968: 2 hours (with commercials) 1962–1964: 1 hour and 30 minutes (with commercials) 1969–2022: 3 hours (with commercials) 2023-present: 3 hours and 30 minutes (with commercials) |
Production companies | |
Original release | |
Network | NBC |
Release | November 27, 1924 November 27, 1952 (radio) November 22, 1945 – present (television) | –
Related | |
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The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade in New York City presented by the U.S.-based department store chain Macy's. The parade first took place in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States;[a] it has been held every year since except from 1942 through 1944. Its signature giant helium balloons date to 1928, with smaller air-filled balloons having been used in 1927. The three-hour parade is held in Manhattan, ending outside Macy's Herald Square, and takes place from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Thanksgiving Day, and has been televised nationally on NBC since 1953.
History
1920s: Early history
In 1924, store employees marched to
The Macy's parade was enough of a success to push
Tony Sarg loved to work with marionettes from an early age. After moving to London to start his own marionette business, Sarg moved to New York City to perform with his puppets on the street. Macy's heard about Sarg's talents and asked him to design a window display of a parade for the store.[5]
1930s–1980s: Growth
Through the 1930s, the parade continued to grow, with crowds of over one million people lining the parade route in 1933. The first Mickey Mouse balloon entered the parade in 1934. The annual festivities were broadcast on local radio stations in New York City from 1932[6] to 1941[7] and resumed in 1945,[8] running through 1951.[9]
The parade was suspended from 1942 to 1944 as a result of World War II because rubber and helium were needed for the war effort.[10][11] The parade resumed in 1945 and became known nationwide shortly afterwards, having been prominently featured in the 1947 film Miracle on 34th Street, which included footage of the 1946 festivities. The event had its first broadcast on network television in 1948 (see § Television coverage). From 1984 to 2019, the balloons were made by Raven Industries of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, through its Raven Aerostar division.[12]
Since 1985, the parade has traditionally been led by the New York City Police Department Highway Patrol. In 2019, the cast of Sesame Street led the parade in honor of the show's 50th anniversary.[13]
1990s–2000s: Safety changes
As the parade continued into the 1990s, it would begin to see various changes, particularly in safety. During the 1993 parade, strong gusts of wind pushed the Sonic the Hedgehog balloon into a lamppost at Columbus Circle. The lamppost damaged the balloon and the top of the post broke off while inside the balloon, dragging it down, injuring a child and an off-duty police officer in the process.[14][15]
Four years later, during
During the 2005 parade, the M&M's balloon collided with a streetlight in Times Square; parts of the light fell on two sisters, who suffered minor injuries.[23] New safety measures were incorporated in 2006 to prevent accidents and balloon-related injuries. One measure taken was the installation of wind measurement devices to alert parade organizers to any unsafe conditions that could cause the balloons to behave erratically. In addition, parade officials implemented a measure to keep the balloons closer to the ground during windy conditions. New York City law prohibits Macy's from flying the full-size balloons if sustained winds exceed 20 knots (23 mph) or wind gusts exceed 30 knots (35 mph); New York's tall buildings and mostly uniform grid plan can amplify wind velocity on city streets. This law, imposed in 1998, has never been activated, despite several close calls; the only time the parade balloons were ever grounded was in 1971. Each balloon has a risk profile to determine handling in windy conditions; taller, upright balloons are rotated to appear horizontal and face downward in such situations (as was the case in 2019, when a grounding was narrowly averted). The remaining floats and performances will continue as scheduled should the balloons be grounded.[24]
2010s–2020s
The 2018 parade was the coldest to date, with the temperature at 19 °F (-7.2 °C) during the event.[25] The warmest was in 1933 at 69 °F (20.5 °C). The 2006 parade was the wettest with 1.72" (49 mm) of rain.[26] Actresses Caitlin Kinnunen and Isabelle McCalla's kiss during The Prom's performance at the 2018 parade received significant media attention for being the first broadcast of a same-sex kiss in the parade's history.[27]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, the 2020 parade was downsized and closed to the public—being filmed as a broadcast-only event in the Herald Square area. There were 88% fewer participants, and social distancing was enforced. The event did not include college and high school marching bands (with the affected bands having been reinvited for 2021), nor any participant under 18 years of age. Balloons were tethered to a "specially rigged anchor vehicle framework of five specialty vehicles" rather than carried by handlers. Mayor of New York City Bill de Blasio stated that it will "[not be] a live parade, but something that will really give us that warmth and that great feeling we have on Thanksgiving day."[28][29] In 2021, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade returned to its traditional in-person procession with 6,500 participants marching in the Parade.
In 2023, the parade started half an hour earlier, at 8:30 am, making it the first parade to begin earlier for almost a century.
Balloons
The first balloons were introduced in 1927 and were filled with air,[33] replacing live zoo animals.[34] Helium-filled balloons debuted the next year.[33] Sarg's large animal-shaped balloons were produced by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in Akron, Ohio from 1928[35] through 1980.[36] Five of the giant balloons introduced that year were designed and filled with helium to rise above 2,000 feet (610 meters) and slowly deflate for whoever was lucky enough to capture the contestants in Macy's "balloon race[s]" and return them for a reward of $100 (equivalent to more than $1,600 with inflation as of 2021), this lasted until 1932.[37]
The balloons in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade have had several varieties. The oldest is the novelty balloon class, consisting of smaller balloons ranging widely in size and handled by between one and thirty people (the smallest balloons are shaped like human heads and fit on the heads of the handlers). The larger and more popular class is the character balloons, primarily consisting of licensed pop-culture characters; each of these (16 in 2019[38]) is handled by exactly 90 people. From 2005 to 2012, a third balloon class, the "Blue Sky Gallery", transformed the works of contemporary artists into full-size balloons; after a five-year hiatus, the Blue Sky Gallery returned in 2018, lasting until 2020.[citation needed]
Performers and acts
This section needs additional citations for verification. (September 2022) |
In addition to the well-known balloons and floats, the parade also features live music and other performances. College and high school marching bands from across the country participate in the parade.[39] The television broadcasts feature performances by established and up-and-coming singers and bands. The Rockettes of Radio City Music Hall are a classic performance (having performed annually since 1957[40] as the last pre-parade act to perform, followed by a commercial break), as are cheerleaders and dancers chosen by the National Cheerleaders Association from various high schools across the country. The parade always concludes with the arrival of Santa Claus to ring in the Christmas and holiday season (except for the 1932 parade, when Santa led the parade).[41] From 2017-2021, the Macy's Singing Christmas Tree choir preceded Santa Claus as the final performer of the parade, this was changed starting in 2022 when they performed second-to-last.
On the NBC telecast from in front of the flagship Macy's store on Broadway and 34th Street, the marching bands perform live music. Most "live" performances by musicals and individual artists lip-sync to the studio, soundtrack or cast recordings of their songs,[42] due to the technical difficulties of attempting to sing into a wireless microphone while in a moving vehicle (performers themselves typically perform on the floats with the exceptions being the Santa's Sleigh float and the Tom Turkey float); the NBC-flagged microphones used by performers on floats are almost always non-functioning props.[43] Although rare, recent parade broadcasts have featured at least one live performance with no use of recorded vocals.[44]
Television coverage
More than 44 million people typically watch the parade on television on an annual basis. It was first televised locally in New York City in 1939 as an experimental broadcast on NBC's W2XBS (now
Since 2003, the parade has been broadcast in
At first, the telecasts were only an hour long. The telecast then expanded to two hours in 1961,
From 1963 to 1972, NBC's coverage was hosted by
From the early 1970s until 1993, the television broadcast was produced and directed by
CBS's coverage was originally part of the All-American Thanksgiving Day Parade, a broadcast that included footage from multiple parades across
For the 1997 parade,
Radio coverage is provided by Audacy's WINS (1010 AM) in New York City. It is one of the few times throughout the year in which that station breaks away from its all-news radio format.
From 2016 to 2019,
The first live international broadcast of the parade occurred in 2020, when Philippine cable television channel TAP TV became the first foreign-based broadcaster to air the parade's live telecast. Before that, the broadcasts were delayed and aired on Black Friday on what is now CNN Philippines until 2013. In addition, delayed broadcasts are aired to United States military installations overseas thru American Forces Network hours following the original U.S. broadcast.
Current hosts
- Al Roker (1995–2021, 2023-present)
- Savannah Guthrie (2012–present)
- Hoda Kotb (2018–present)
Past hosts
- Merrill Mueller (1953)
- Arlene Francis (1954)
- Hugh Downs (1954)
- Buffalo Bob Smith (1955, 1960)
- Ernie Kovacs (1956)
- David Brinkley (1957)
- Bert Parks (1957–1958)
- Frank Blair (1958)
- Bill Wendell (1959)
- Gene Rayburn (1959)
- Paul Tripp (1960)
- Ed Herlihy (1961)
- Lindsey Nelson (1961)
- Bud Palmer (1962)
- Chris Schenkel (1962)
- Betty White (1963–1972)
- Lorne Greene (1963–1972)
- Martin Milner (1973)
- Kent McCord (1973)
- Ed McMahon (1974–1981)
- David Hartman (1974)
- Karen Grassle (1974)
- Helen Reddy (1975)
- Peter Marshall (1975)
- Della Reese (1976)
- McLean Stevenson (1976)
- Bryant Gumbel (1977–1980, 1982–1984)
- Regis Philbin (1981)
- Larry Hagman (1982)
- Sarah Purcell (1982–1983)
- Pat Sajak (1984–1986)
- Stepfanie Kramer (1984, 1986)
- Bert Convy (1985)
- Phylicia Ayers-Allen(1985)
- Willard Scott (1987–1997)
- Mary Hart (1987)
- Sandy Duncan (1988)
- Deborah Norville (1989–1990)
- Katie Couric (1991–2005)
- Matt Lauer (1998–2017)
- Meredith Vieira (2006–2010)
- Ann Curry (2011)
- Dylan Dreyer (2022)
Parade route
The parade has always taken place in
In the 1930s, the balloons were inflated around 110th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, near the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. The parade proceeded south on Amsterdam Avenue to 106th Street and turned east. At Columbus Avenue, the balloons had to be lowered to go under the Ninth Avenue El. Past the El tracks, the parade proceeded east on 106th Street to Central Park West and turned south to terminate at Macy's flagship.
A new route was established for the 2009 parade. From 77th Street and Central Park West, the route went south along Central Park to Columbus Circle, then east along Central Park South. The parade would then make a right turn at 7th Avenue and go south to Times Square. At 42nd Street, the parade turned left and went east, then at 6th Avenue turned right again at Bryant Park. Heading south on 6th Avenue, the parade turned right at 34th Street (at Herald Square) and proceeded west to the terminating point at 7th Avenue where the floats are taken down.[60] The 2009 route change eliminated Broadway completely, where the parade has traveled down for decades. The City of New York said that the new route would provide more space for the parade, and more viewing space for spectators. Another reason for implementing the route change is the city's subsequent transformation of Broadway into a pedestrian-only zone at Times Square.[61]
Another new route was introduced with the 2012 parade. This change is similar to the 2009 route, but eliminated Times Square altogether, instead going east from Columbus Circle along Central Park South, then south on Sixth Avenue to Herald Square.[62][63]
Balloon teams race through Columbus Circle due to higher winds in this flat area, making it an unsuitable observation site. New York City officials preview the parade route and try to eliminate as many potential obstacles as possible, including rotating overhead traffic signals out of the way. Viewing is restricted from 38th Street through the end of the parade route, as this area is used for the NBC telecast.[64]
Similar parades
Other American cities also have parades held on Thanksgiving, none of which are run by Macy's. The nation's oldest Thanksgiving parade (the Gimbels parade, which has had many sponsors over the years, and is now known as the
Universal's Holiday Parade Featuring Macy's
Since 2002, Macy's Studios has partnered with the
In popular culture
- The 1947 film Miracle on 34th Street, begins with the parade, as do most of its remakes. The film portrays the real Santa Claus being hired to work at Macy's after its own Santa impersonator gets drunk during the parade. NBC, in its telecasts, often showed the original 1947 film on Thanksgiving afternoon, following its coverage of the parade and the National Dog Show.
- The 1984 film Sammy Davis, Jr. is briefly seen, Milton Berle, who has a small guest role in the film playing himself, was also featured in the parade but is not seen in this sequence.
- The parade is featured in the 1987 children's book We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story and its animated film adaptation where Rex mistakenly befriends a dinosaur balloon.
- In the 1994 The Mom and Pop Store", Elaine wins a spot on the parade route for her boss, Mr. Pitt, to hold the Woody Woodpeckerballoon.
- The first Thanksgiving-themed episode of Friends centered on the accidental release of the (unused at the time) "Underdog" balloon.
- "Macy's Day Parade" is a song by Green Day, on their album Warning.
- In 2008, a Cannes, France, that year, and the clip of the commercial with the Griffin balloon was featured in a Macy's commercial in October 2008 (along with clips from Miracle on 34th Street, I Love Lucy, Seinfeld and other media where Macy's was mentioned). The commercial was also referenced in a 2011 episode of Family Guy. Stewie, one of its main characters, is seen watching the parade only to see the balloon of himself in the parade.
- In the 2016 reboot of Ghostbusters, the Ghostbusters fight a haunted balloon parade including several Macy's balloons from the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s.
See also
- Santa Claus parades
- List of Christmas and holiday season parades
Notes
- ^ America's Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit is the same age. Both parades are four years younger than Philadelphia's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
References
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- ^ Jensen, Elizabeth (November 25, 2012). At ‘Sesame Street,’ a Void in a Close-Knit Troupe. The New York Times. Retrieved November 25, 2012. "The puppet was featured on a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade float, with another puppeteer acting to Mr. Clash's taped voice."
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- ^ a b "The Thanksgiving Day Parade on CBS" will be anchored live by "The Early Show's" Dave Price and Maggie Rodriguez from New York's Times Square, Thursday, November 27 on the CBS Television Network Archived February 2, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. CBS press release (November 13, 2008). Retrieved June 21, 2010.
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- ^ Nolfi, Joey (November 24, 2022). "Al Roker misses first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 27 years". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
- ^ Gioia, Michael (November 26, 2015). What Was It Like to Perform on the Macy's Parade? Over 20 Broadway Actors Remember a Dream Come True! Playbill. Retrieved November 26, 2015. "We pre-recorded the opening number of the show for the CBS broadcast, down on South Ferry."—Carly Hughes
- ^ Harms, Talaura (November 23, 2020). "In the News: Dear Evan Hansen and Come From Away Performances to Air During CBS' Thanksgiving Coverage, Laura Linney and More Nominated for United Solo Special Award". Playbill. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ "Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade will be live-streamed on YouTube in 360-degree video". November 23, 2016.
- ^ NBC and Verizon use the power of 5G to reimagine Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (press release)
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- ^ "Universal Orlando". Universal Orlando Resort. Archived from the original on December 17, 2006.
Further reading
- Bird, William L. Jr. (2007). Holidays on Display. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History in Association with Princeton Architectural Press.