How the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Works

Along with eating turkey dinners and pumpkin pie, watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is a Thanksgiving tradition for many Americans. This year's 82nd annual event will be no different. So how has the event evolved over the years? Read on.

From Then to Now

The very first parade, staged in 1924, was actually called the Macy's Christmas Parade and was organized by Macy's employees – the majority of whom were emigrants. It had only three horse-pulled floats and four bands, and it included zoo animals from the Central Park Zoo. Along with the camels, donkeys, elephants and goats, Santa Claus was part of the lineup – a tradition that continues today. Over the years, the event grew into the large-scale event it is now.

Today's parade showcases 10,000 participants, and crowds of 2 to 3.5 million spectators cram Manhattan's streets for a close-up view. Another 50 million watch the parade on television. Here are some more points to ponder:

Last Year's Parade Statistics

• Number of marching bands: 11
• Number of floats: 24
• Number of clowns: 800
• Number of cheerleaders, dancers, singers and performers: 1,900
• Number of balloons: 11 giant character balloons and 31 novelty/ornament balloons and balloonicles (a combination balloon and self-propelled vehicle)
• Amount of helium used: 400,000 cubic feet
• Number of blocks covered: 43

The balloons' dimensions vary, but most are about five to six stories high and somewhere around 60 feet long and 30 feet wide. The famous Big Bird balloon is about that size and filled with 12,000 cubic feet of helium.

Security and Logistics

With 2 to 3.5 million spectators filling New York City's streets, providing top-notch security is an important and massive undertaking, according to HowStuffWorks writer Kathleen Seiler Neary. Uniformed and undercover officers are posted throughout the parade route, and bomb-sniffing dogs are used. Helicopters monitor the airspace over the parade, and sharpshooters are posted on rooftops and in windows. Extra security checks are made for days in advance at bridges, tunnels, airports and rail and bus stations, according to The New York Times.

Want to go in person?

Get there early and scout out a place to settle. The parade usually starts its 43-block trek at 77th Street and Central Park West; travels south to Columbus Circle; turns onto Broadway; follows Broadway to 34th Street; turns west onto 34th Street right after the Macy's Herald Square store; and ends at Seventh Avenue. Covering 2 1/2 miles, the three-hour spectacle runs from 9 a.m. to noon.