For nearly a century, Thanksgiving in New York City has been defined by towering balloons, peppy marching bands and sensational performers. Rain or shine, that did not change in 2024 for the 98th annual celebration of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. With 31.3 million viewers on NBC and Peacock and 3.5 million braving the rain to watch in person, this beloved tradition is more lively than ever.
Over the past 100 years, the parade has morphed from a small parade put together by Macy’s Herald Square employees to the nationally televised spectacle that is now an iconic Thanksgiving symbol. The parade was started in 1924 by primarily first-generation immigrants eager to celebrate the American holiday that was still new to them. The inaugural parade stretched six miles from 145th Street in Harlem to Herald Square, featuring animals from the Central Park Zoo, clowns and, tradition that continues today, Santa Claus welcoming the Christmas season. Due to fear from the spectators, after only three years of featuring live animals, organizers decided to replace them with balloons in 1927. These balloons have gone on to be the stars of the show, appearing in every parade since. During World War II, the parade was canceled due to rubber and helium shortages. Instead of making their balloons, Macy’s donated the materials to the United States government in contribution to the war effort.
After World War II, the parade quickly evolved into what we know today. Shortening the route, it went from a 6-mile event to 2.5 miles from West 75th to Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square. Following the parade’s feature in “Miracle on 34th Street,” public fascination with New York City’s Thanksgiving parade paved the way for its first national broadcast. Since then, the broadcast has been welcomed into many Americans’ homes, becoming a staple of many families’ traditions.
Macy’s has managed to evolve the parade while staying true to its roots by maintaining the core setup of performers, balloons, and marching bands while allowing these elements to reflect pop culture trends over time. In 2024, Macy’s unveiled several new balloons, including Minnie Mouse, Marshall from “Paw Patrol” and Goku from the “Dragon Ball” franchise. These balloons go from classics to new characters, offering something for audiences of all ages to enjoy! They use this technique in picking their performers, as well. This year, the iconic floats featured R&B popstar Coco Jones, rapper T-Pain and classic Motown group The Temptations. With the performances highlighting music from the 1960s to today, the parade can get everyone of all ages dancing.
This year, people watching the broadcast from home could feel like they are among the live audience rather than just watching the parade from above. A new production company, Silent House, now produces the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. They wanted to make their mark by switching the camera angles to the spectators. However, this broadcast was cut for five minutes during a demonstration from 21 pro-Palestine protestors. The activists carried Palestinian flags and a banner that stated, “Don’t Celebrate Genocide.” New York City police arrested all protestors for the interruption.
After six years of hosting the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Hoda Kotb—the longtime anchor of —The Today Show” anchor—will be passing the torch. Craig Melvin, who has been announced as Kotb’s replacement on “The Today Show,” will likely fill the spot next year. Regardless, the tradition will continue.
