The Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade is a holiday tradition that many American families look forward to every year.
Dating back to 1924, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade has been around for almost 100 years. The parade, which begins at West 77th St. and Central Park West, is approximately 2.5 miles long. Roughly 3.5 million people travel to New York to witness the parade in person each year, while over 27.4 million choose to watch it at home on their televisions.
Due to the several years the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade has been around, it is a core childhood memory for many families during the holiday season. Sophomore Taniyah Barner has traveled to New York twice to see the Macy’s Parade live. While she loves going to the parade because she gets to be in New York, the actual experience of the parade makes the event so unforgettable.
“There is so much energy in every single thing going on during the parade,” Barner said. “I have been twice and it’s just fun to see the people because they are always very nice.”
A total of 26 floats are made each year for the parade, with each costing around 30,000 to 100,000 dollars. Displayed as giant balloons, the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade features some of our most memorable characters from childhood. Characters such as Charlie Brown, Mickey Mouse and Garfield are enlarged as giant balloons for the enjoyment of viewers during the Macy’s Parade.
Each year, musical guests are present to add to the holiday festivities. For the 2023 Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, the musical line-up will consist of artists such as Cher, Jessie James Decker, Jon Batiste and the Pentatonix, just to name a few.
Averaging a grand total of around 13 million dollars, a significant amount of money is spent each year for the annual parade. Through a lot of time and preparation, sophomore Deborah Skelton believes the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade is the best way to get into the holiday spirit.
“I literally love the Thanksgiving parade so much,” Skelton said. “The parade is just amazing, it just brings the spirit of the season and gets us ready for Thanksgiving.”
