Our cousins across the Pond enjoy a bit of star-spangled pomp now and then, and a good example of their bald eagle pride can be witnessed at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, also known as the Macy’s Day Parade.
The Macy’s Day Parade is a true institution showing off New York’s love of shopping and floaty things – it’s always lovingly televised too so that the rest of the country can see the nice shopping and floaty things alongside the 3 million of so people lining the streets.
The lively three-hour procession of playful dirigibles saunters its way through Manhattan, through famous streets such as Sixth Avenue and Central Park West.
Each year the parade is an opportunity for new and classic children’s characters to strut their commercial stuff, while family movies are often premiered in cinemas around this weekend to capitalise on the convivial atmosphere.
History
The parade was started in 1924 by immigrant employees at Macy’s who wanted to replicate carnival-type parades from their motherlands in their new home of New York as a way of celebrating the holiday season.
The route originally used to stretch all the way from Harlem down to Macy’s in Herald Square on 34th Street, but given the increasing size of the parade over the years, the length has had to be scaled down.
Most recently the route begins at 77th street on the west side of Central Park, clings to the park past Columbus Circle and then heads down Sixth Avenue to Herald Square.
In the early days, live animals from Central Park Zoo were a major part of the parade’s attraction, but these days they’ve been replaced by human pop stars. Famous warblers have become part and parcel of the parade, with the likes of Avril Lavigne, Neil Diamond and Kanye West in recent years having set up shop on floats to perform their popular ditties.
Massive balloons
Most of the parade’s balloons are so large that they require around 90 handlers holding thick ropes to stop them from drifting away. In the past, balloons were actually released at the end of the parade, and whoever managed to recover one would receive a $100 prize from Macy’s.
Snoopy is the most frequent character to appear as a balloon, while other Peanuts characters also regularly feature. Yes, Charlie Brown’s angst as he chases that elusive American football has been replicated in gigantic balloon form. Uncle Sam also usually looms over the onlookers, reminding them sternly that the USA is number one in all given fields and situations.
These playful children-pleasing balloons are probably the most famous part of the parade, but in more recent years, they have been joined by more artistic efforts such as “Rabbit”, a smooth silver rabbit by Jeff Koons, and most recently “Companion” by KAWS.
These more high-brow off-beat additions fittingly tie in with the city’s stellar art scene, while corporate America is also well represented – iconic brand heroes such as Ronald McDonald, Mr Peanut and the Pilsbury Doughboy gleefully float about too.
Marching bands
As well as helium-filled entertainment, a human cast of thousands also delights the crowd. Performances from dance troupes and marching bands from all over the country are an important part of the festivities, and thankfully they don’t simply play Yankee Doodle on a loop. The marching bands walk in dazzling synchrony in charming colourful outfits, mingling amongst and dwarfed by the inflatables above.
All in all, given its patriotic combination of balloons, musicians and Thanksgiving-themed floats featuring pilgrims and turkeys, the Macy’s Day Parade certainly lives up to its reputation as the start of the holidays.
If you are going to watch it in the flesh though, you’ll have to get up early – the parade begins at 9am and onlookers are recommended to find their spot at around 6am to ensure they get a good view. The rest of us can watch it on the telly.
Main Image by kowarski
