Enjoyed by families for generations, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade made its debut in 1924 to celebrate and show off the opening of their World’s Largest Store in New York City. Offering a whopping 1 million square feet of clothing, household goods, and children’s toys, the newly expanded store stretched across an entire city block and loomed 11 stories tall to accommodate the brisk business experienced in the early 1920s. Ask your children to share what they know about the 1920s. Known as The Roaring 20s, it was a period of social change, technological advancement, great prosperity, and consumer excess. If children are unfamiliar with this time period, this is the perfect time to learn more. Kiddle Kid’s Encyclopedia, Britannica Kids, and the Library of Congress American Fads and Crazes: the 1920s (best for older students) all offer an informative look back for kids. Educator William Pulgaran’s Roaring 20s on YouTube brings this historical time period to life through authentic video clips, photographs, and engaging commentary.
It was during this time of great American prosperity that Macy’s decided to host a parade to not only highlight their new store but ultimately to increase sales by enticing shoppers to buy gifts for family and friends! Unlike today’s parade, the first Macy’s parade traveled 6 miles and featured live animals borrowed from Central Park Zoo, a jazz band made up of Macy’s employees, a military band, four floats, and store employees dressed as clowns. Along with entertaining the crowds with clown antics and jazz music, store employees also created and staffed the parade floats, including the sleigh float that carried the eagerly anticipated Santa Claus! The first parade had about 10,000 people in attendance and no television coverage, yet the executives at Macy felt the parade was successful enough to continue the tradition. Today’s parade is visually more expansive with performing artists, numerous marching bands, clowns, performing groups, elaborate floats, and helium balloons. You can learn more about this year’s line-up here. Surprisingly, the route is shorter and travels only 2.5 miles, compared to the first parade’s 6-mile route. It is estimated that 3.5 million people will show up to view the parade in person, and they will be joined by roughly 50 million TV viewers!
If you have ever watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade with your children, ask them what they enjoyed the most. If they say the large floating balloons, they are not alone! Long considered the favorite of children and adults alike, this year’s parade features 34 various balloon characters, including classic game icons Pac-Man and Mario. Have you ever watched the parade, live or on television, and wondered how big the ballons are? Many of the balloons used in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade are massive in size and most are larger than we think! While the sizes vary, many of the balloons measure about 50–60 feet tall (or 5-6 stories high) and are about 60 feet long and 30 feet wide. The Bluey website has some fun facts that help young children understand just how big the Bluey balloon is (also check out how much paint it takes to give the Bluey balloon her perfect shade of blue!). Not only are the balloons quite large, but they also weigh several hundred pounds. Typically, once filled with helium, the balloons weigh in at 400-700 lbs.! To date, the heaviest balloon in the Macy’s Parade is SpongeBob SquarePants and Gary, which weighs an enormous 896 lbs. Ask children if they can think of any animal or familiar item that weighs 400 lbs. or more (hint: motorcycles are about 400-600 lbs., a Baby Grand Piano is 600 lbs., large household refrigerators are 700-900 lbs., male lions are 500-550 lbs., and male grizzly bears are 600 lbs.). Learn the fascinating process of How Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloons are Made on Scholastic’s YouTube® channel, then watch PIP Academy’s How Parade Balloons Float. Ask your children to share what they learned. Was there anything that surprised them? What is the first step in making the parade balloons? (Sketching the balloon!) What is the name of the lightweight gas that fills the balloons? (Helium!) What keeps the balloons from floating away? (The lines and ballon handlers!)
When you consider the enormous size of the balloons, it is no surprise that it takes a large team of people to walk with them to guide them. Each large balloon requires 80–90 people on the ground to make sure it stays in place throughout the route. There are a few requirements to have the honored job of escorting a balloon through the 2.5-mile parade route. Balloon handlers, as they are called, must be at least 18 years of age, weigh at least 120 lbs., and be physically healthy. Along with these requirements, balloon handlers must work for Macy’s or be sponsored by an employee. Once selected, a mandatory safety class is required. Ask children what type of safety rules they think are important. (This can be anything, but encourage them to think of the safety of the handler and the crowd.) Sadly, these requirements were created to protect parade participants and attendees. Numerous balloon accidents have occurred over the years, and while most only damaged the balloon, others have caused injury to bystanders as well.
Along with the mandatory safety training, the parade director, local meteorologists, the New York Police Department, and the NYC Office of Emergency Management are in constant communication regarding the weather along the route. Using this information, the balloons may be grounded right before the parade begins. During the parade, if rain or winds change, the parade director may decide to adjust the angle or lower the height of a balloon during the parade route. Interestingly, the parade has never been cancelled because of weather. However, the parade was cancelled from 1942 through 1944. Ask older children what world event would have prevented the parade. In late 1941, America’s leaders made the decision to go to war against Japan and ultimately joined Great Britian and the Allies to defeat Hitler’s Germany in the global war known today as World War II. If children are unfamiliar with World War II, Ducksters offers kid-friendly explanations. MiaAcademy also gives middle school students an informative “live” news report on the US involvement in the war. As the war raged on, there was a shortage of rubber and helium, so the decision was made to cancel the parade and donate the rubber to the war efforts. Interestingly, the announcement to cancel the parade was written from the point of view of the balloons! But all this is just a taste of the fascinating parade history. If you would like to learn more interesting snippets, be sure to check out the CNN Interactive history timeline of the balloons.
It is easy to see why massive helium balloons are often considered the stars of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, but they are only part of what you can see at this magnificent parade! Along with the balloons, there will be 28 floats in the parade this year, including a fun Yeti Mountain designed by The Lego® Group. Uniquely, this float has been carefully designed so that every piece represents an existing LEGO® brick, piece, and character so children can build their own Yeti Mountain at home! But the float that steals the show is Santa’s Sleigh! Carrying the jolly man himself, Santa’s Sleigh is also the largest float in the Parade at 60 feet long, 22 feet wide & 3 and a half stories tall! Compare Santa to the littlest float in the parade, which measures just 8” tall with the popular Goldfish snack. Be sure to learn more about this year’s floats at the official Macy’s Parade Line Up (scroll past the balloons).
Music is another exciting highlight of the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Each year, a committee selects nationally recognized bands to come to New York and showcase their talents. The selection process is competitive with band directors applying and submitting a high-definition video of a half-time or competitive show. The committee pays close attention to the quality of the musicians and their performance energy and quality, as well as their entertainment value. Interestingly, bands apply over a year in advance, meaning that bands that apply this year are vying for a spot in the 2027 parade! Although there is a nominal fee to apply, students, teachers, and parent chaperones are responsible for their travel, hotel, and meals during their time in New York. Ask older children to plan a trip to New York City for the parade. This is an excellent opportunity to compare costs of flights, trains, and hotels and plan meals for the trip. Younger children can look at the parade route map and pick the best place to view the parade.
If watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade has not been a tradition in your family, I encourage you to start this year and introduce your children to the amazing sights and sounds that kick off the Christmas shopping season! Whether you view it live in New York City or watch it on television, the Macy’s 99th Thanksgiving Day Parade is one to delight young and old!
