Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is a one of those traditions that everyone loves. On Turkey Day morning, families gather around their TVs to watch the parade as it makes its way down Broadway to Macy's Herald Square. Flip through our gallery of giant balloons over the years and get some fun facts along the way!

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Originally known as the Macy's Christmas Parade, the event was started by employees. It featured animals from the Central Park Zoo. The first parade took place in 1924 and was such a success it became an annual event. Here's a pic from the 1929 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

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Helium balloons were used for the first time in 1927 and as part of the finale they were released into the air. Only problem was they burst over the city's skyline! Here's a pic from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Nov. 30, 1933.

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Here's a pic of the Superman balloon from the 1940 parade. The parade wasn't held from 1942-1944 due to World War II and shortages of helium and rubber. The balloons were donated to the government giving the war effort 650 more pounds of scrap rubber.

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The parade started being shown nationally on TV in 1947. Here the Spaceman balloon makes it's way down 34th Street. Police estimated that during that year 1,250,000 people watched the parade, which included 2,000 marchers, 13 bands, 13 floats and several balloons.

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During the 1957 parade, it rained really hard and Popeye's cap filled with water causing him to go off the route. Not only that but he ended up dumping water on crowds of people who were watching the parade. Here he is in the 1961 parade.

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After the balloons burst over the NY skyline, changes were made and safety valves were put in so they would float for a few days. Address labels were sewn into them, so that whomever found and mailed back the deflated balloon received a gift from Macy's. Today the balloons are no longer released into the air. Here's the giant Garfield balloon from the 1986 parade.

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The original Macy's employees who started the parade were first-generation immigrants who wanted to celebrate the American holiday of Thanksgiving with the type of balloon festivals they enjoyed in Europe. Here Bart Simpson skates through the air in the 1995 parade.

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The original parade route was six and a half miles and started at 145th street in Harlem and ended in Herald Square. Today the route is just two and a half miles and starts at 77th and Central Park West and finishes at 7th Avenue. Check out the Honey Nut Cheerios Bee balloon during the 1999 parade.

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Macy's worked with Walt Disney Productions to introduce the first Mickey Mouse balloon in 1934. Since them he has been redone and in 2000 bandleader Mickey made his debut. The new balloon is 40 feet high.

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