This story is about one of the greatest parades in the world, which dazzles with its scale and grandeur. At the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade (MTP), you can hear live music, see various performances, huge balloons and other equally awe-inspiring properties. Read more about the parade on manhattanski.
Origin and development
The MTP is one of the grandest parades in the world. It is organized as part of the Thanksgiving Day by the Macy’s department store chain, one of the grandest and oldest US chains. The celebration occurs in Manhattan and lasts for three hours, from 9:00 to 12:00. The MTP commences from 145th Street in Harlem and terminates at the leading Macy’s Herald Square department store on 34th Street.The first such march passed in 1924, when employees of Macy’s stores marched to the Macy’s Herald Square store. The attendees were garbed in gleaming clothes and had bands and diverse posters. The procession was accompanied by live animals from the local zoo. Upon completion of the MTP, Santa Claus was waiting for them. On the first day, about 250,000 spectators gathered, which was a remarkable phenomenon. So, the company determined to make this event an annual one. Already in 1928, live animals were swapped for large helium-filled balloons. In general, there were multiple types of balloons. The first class is small balloons of various sizes, which were operated by up to 30 people. The second class is character balloons, which are large in size, so only one balloon is operated by about 90 people. The third class, the Blue Sky Gallery, popped up a little later and showcased balloons in the form of works by emerging artists. To complement the balloons and miscellaneous attributes of the holiday, there was also live music and various performances.
The scale of the MTP expanded further. As early as 1933, the MTP gathered about a million people. At that time, the grand event was broadcast by various American radio stations. Between 1942 and 1944, the celebrations were halted owing to the outbreak of World War II. The MTP revived only in 1945. The first TV broadcasts began in 1948. The MTP was mostly covered by the renowned US TV network NBC.
Accidents and further work
This grand event was not without its mishaps. In 1993, due to strong winds, a huge balloon hit a street lamp on Columbus Circle, which broke and injured several people. A similar situation occurred in 1997 on 72nd Street. Then, also under the influence of wind, a large balloon hit a pole and broke it. This time, the implications were more serious, as part of the street lamp broke a person’s skull. The victim was in a coma for a long time. After these difficult circumstances, a number of safety measures were taken, incl. limiting the size of balloons, removing lampposts along the planned MTP route, conducting briefings, etc. However, in 2005 the situation repeated itself, so new security constraints were imposed
The following year, wind measuring devices were deployed to warn of possible exceeding the norm. A decision was made to lower the balloons closer to the ground during unstable winds. In general, the law stipulated the following wind standards: steady winds should not be stronger than 20 knots (23 mph), and gusty winds should not top 30 knots (35 mph).As for the future of the show, in 2020, the MTP was off limits to the public because of the COVID-19, the celebration was broadcast on TV. In 2021, the MTP resumed its activities, with 6,500 attendees taking part in the procession that year. The year 2023 was somewhat unexpected, as the celebration was partially disrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters.