The annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, , is presented by the U.S. based department store
chain Macy's. The parade started in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States with America's
Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit (with both parades being four years younger than Philadelphia's Thanksgiving Day Parade). The parade is held in Manhattan, ending outside Macy's Herald Square on Thanksgiving Day, and has been televised nationally on NBC since 1953.
In 1924, store employees marched to Macy's Herald Square, the flagship store on 34th Street, dressed in vibrant costumes. There were floats, professional bands and live animals borrowed from the Central Park Zoo.
The parade has only been cancelled three times in its 96-year-long history during WWII, between 1942-1944; it was grounded due to helium and rubber rations . Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was done as a virtual event to avoid large crowds. |