The most popular holiday parade in America, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade NY has been a tradition since 1924.It attracts more than 3.5 million people to the streets of New York City each year and 50 million people watch it on TV nationwide The first Macy´s Day Parade took place on Christmas 1924 when Macy´s employees (Macy´s is a very big department store with shops al around USA, but the most important is in New York) dressed as clowns, cowboys and other fun costumes and accompanied by Central Park zoo animals and creative floats marched about 10km.
Nowadays, spectators can see about 10.000 participants - including the nation´s best marching bands, performance groups, giant helium balloons, breathtaking floats and ending the parade, a float with the one - and - only Santa Claus upon his sleigh, marking the start of the Christmas season.
In these 90 years, only three times the parade was not held due to World War II.
In 1927, Felix the Cat became the first giant balloon to ever take part in the Macy´s Day Parade. Next years lots of favourite children´s characters have marched in the parade, for instance:
Mickey Mouse
Superman
Uncle Sam
Harold the fireman
Toy soldier
Popeye
Donald Duck
Hello Kitty
Kermit the frog
Yogi Bear
Garfield
Spiderman
Bugs Bunny
Babe the pig
Snoopy
Pikachu
Bart Simpson
Sponge Bob
Dora the explorer
Shrek
Scooby - doo
Mr. Potato head
Charlie Brown
Pink Panther
Kung Fu panda
.......................................................................................
