Organized by the department store R.H. Macy & Co., the inaugural event was called the “Macy’s Christmas Parade” and was intended to be a way for Macy’s to attract customers and kick off the holiday shopping season. The parade was designed to showcase a variety of festive elements, including live animals, which were loaned from the Central Park Zoo, as well as floats, bands, and performers.
The 1924 parade began at 145th Street in Harlem and proceeded down to Macy’s flagship store at 34th Street in Herald Square, covering about six miles. It featured several floats, including ones depicting popular nursery rhymes, and was accompanied by bands playing holiday music. Clowns and costumed employees joined the procession, entertaining the crowds that had gathered along the route. At the end of the parade, Santa Claus appeared to signify the beginning of the Christmas season.
The first Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade was a huge success and drew an estimated 250,000 spectators, leading Macy’s to make it an annual event and a highlight of the New York seasonal calendar. In 1947 the parade gained national attention when it began to be televised, allowing millions of Americans to watch from their homes.
One notable difference from modern-day parades was the absence of giant balloons, which would later become one of the parade’s most famous elements. The first large, inflatable character balloons were introduced in 1928 by puppeteer Tony Sarg to replace the inclusion of live animals. The first licensed character balloons were the Katzenjammer Kids, created by cartoonist Rudolph Dirks.
On the 27th of November 1924, the first Macy's Thanksgiving Parade took place in New York City.
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Organised by the department store RH Macy & Co, the inaugural event was actually called the Macy's
Christmas Parade and was intended to be a way for Macy's to attract customers and kick off the
holiday shopping season. The parade was designed to showcase a variety of festive elements including
live animals which were loaned from the Central Park Zoo, as well as floats, bands and performers.
The 1924 parade began at 145th Street in Harlem and proceeded down to Macy's flagship store at
34th Street in Herald Square, covering about six miles. It featured several floats including ones
depicting popular nursery rhymes and was accompanied by bands playing holiday music.
Clowns and costumed employees joined the procession, entertaining the crowds that had
gathered along the route. At the end of the parade, Santa Claus appeared to signify the
beginning of the Christmas season. The first Macy's Thanksgiving Parade was a huge success
and drew an estimated 250,000 spectators, leading Macy's to make it an annual event and a highlight
of the New York seasonal calendar. In 1947, the parade gained national attention when it began
to be televised, allowing millions of Americans to watch from their homes. One notable difference
between the first parade and its modern-day successors was the absence of giant balloons,
which would later become one of the parade's most famous elements. The first large inflatable
character balloons were introduced in 1928 by puppeteer Tony Sarg to replace the inclusion
of live animals. Contrary to urban myth, the first licensed character balloons were not
Felix the Cat, but instead the Cats and Jammer Kids, created by cartoonist Rudolph Dirks.
