What is Thanksgiving without the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City? What is New Year’s Day without the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California? Parade Day is a festive tradition for these holidays; millions of Americans attend these parades in person and millions of others watch them on television. But Parade Day isn’t just about one day; it is the culmination of time, organization, expense, materials, promotion and volunteerism that brings it all together.
Thanksgiving Day Parade: New York City: History
The first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade was organized by store employees in 1924; featuring costumes, floats, marching bands and animals from the Central Park Zoo. The parade, to kick off the holiday season, began at the corner of 145th street and Convent Avenue in New York City. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has evolved over the years to include figures of pop culture, novelty cartoon-character helium balloons (beginning in 1927) and various types of entertainment from New York (the Rockettes, for example) and other states around the nation.
From 1942 to 1944, the parade was put on hold as the nation fought in World War II. Rubber balloons were deflated and donated to the government for the war effort. In 1946, the parade route in Manhattan was changed to its current starting point (77th and Central Park West;) ending at 34th street and 7th Avenue. About two million people watched it live that year and others saw the first local broadcast of the parade on television. In 1947, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was televised nationally.
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Building the floats! Creating the balloons! Materials vary depending on the floats or balloons used, but the process begins in an enormous factory-turned-Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Studio. The floats are built in the studio, but they must be transported through the Lincoln Tunnel and then re-assembled for the parade. The balloons are inflated the day before the parade; on 77th and 81st streets between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue. The public is invited (typically from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.) to watch the balloons being inflated.
Besides the floats and balloons, participants of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade include high school and college marching bands, performance groups, acrobats and a variety of other entertainment acts. Macy’s has its own “Clown University” to train the hundreds of people who don the greasepaint, floppy shoes and red noses before they set foot in the parade. Macy’s says that more than 8,000 people march in the parade, including appearances from television, film and the music industry celebrities. Of course, Santa Claus makes a special appearance at the end of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade festivities.
New Year’s Day Tournament of Roses Parade: Pasadena, California: History
In 1890, members of Pasadena’s Valley Hunt Club developed a mid-winter festival to promote the warmth of the California sun and the west coast’s pleasant climate. Because of the abundance of flowers and fruits available in that climate, a parade was added to the festival’s activities, and, over time, marching bands and motorized floats were added to the parade. In 1895, the Tournament of Roses organization was formed to take over the production of the festival.
In 1902, the first post-season college football game was played between Stanford University and the University of Michigan. The Michigan team beat Stanford 49 to 0, with the Stanford team ending the game in the 3rd quarter. The game’s score prompted parade officials to seek other forms of entertainment for the festival; Roman-like chariot races, for example. But in 1916, football was again the spectacle to see on New Year’s Day and it wasn’t long before officials decided they needed to build a new stadium. The first Rose Bowl, now called the Granddaddy of Them All, took place in 1923.
Tournament of Roses: Parade
The Tournament of Roses parade is traditionally held on January first, but in 1893, New Year’s Day fell on a Sunday; parade officials were concerned about it interfering with church services. The solution was to move Parade Day and the Rose Bowl to the following Monday, a practice still done today.
The Tournament of Roses parade lasts roughly two hours and the number of floats, bands and other participating acts varies each year. Typically, the five-and-a-half-mile route might have nearly 50 floats, 16 marching bands, two dozen horseback riders and other equestrian acts in addition to the “Rose Court”, the “Rose Queen” and her princesses. The Tournament of Roses Parade’s Grand Marshal, the organization’s president and the mayor of Pasadena also ride in a vehicle.
Tournament of Roses: Parade Floats
Applications for floats to be included in the Tournament of Roses Parade are reviewed more than a year in advance. Each year, the Tournament of Roses Parade features a specific theme for the event. Floats can be self-propelled or driven by vehicles or animals. Requirements include specifications for height, width and length and the entire surface must be covered with natural materials such as flowers, seeds, bark, nuts, vegetables, stems and leaves. Over the parade’s 100-plus year history, the float-building process has changed dramatically; in the beginning, community volunteers created simply-designed floats. Today, the structures are considered “big business;” sponsored and built by corporations which spend millions of dollars on the whole production, often used as a promotional tool for a service or company.
The float-building process starts as soon as the previous year’s parade is over; beginning with design blueprints. A framework of steel and chicken wire is structured on a specially-designed chassis that may include special effects and computerized animation. During the week between Christmas and New Year’s, fresh flowers, petals and other natural materials are applied to the float. To keep them from wilting, single flowers are placed in thin containers of water. Rose Parade officials say “each float is decorated with more flowers than the average florist will use in five years.”
Tournament of Roses: Parade Bands and Equestrians
The Monrovia Town Band of Pasadena, California, was the first marching band to participate in the Tournament of Roses parade, in 1891. The band had fewer than 20 members in it back then, compared to the marching bands of today which have as many as 250 members. Rose parade officials say more than 50 bands now compete for 16 openings every year. Marching bands must pay their own transportation and accommodations costs; they are chosen 14 months in advance.
Horses, horses, horses! The Tournament of Roses Parade features more than 300 horses and their riders, with a variety of breeds. Like the marching bands, horse owners and their mounts are chosen far in advance so that the groups can raise the money for their trip to Pasadena.
Want to Go?
If you want to see the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, or the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California, you must begin to plan your trip – now.
Thanksgiving Day Parade: Hotel accommodations should be made well in advance of Thanksgiving Day; check out the NYC-The Official Guide or contact the New York City Convention and Visitors Bureau.
While there are private viewing grandstands that are not available for public use, the general public has free access along the route of the parade, including on the east side of Central Park West (from 59th Street to 75th Street). Parade organizers say the west side of the street (Central Park West) is a good place to view the parade, which begins at 9:00 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day (people start lining the streets at about 7:00 a.m.). Because of the large numbers of spectators, folding chairs are not allowed. The parade takes place rain or shine and it does get cold in Manhattan in November! Dress in layers and bring rain ponchos for inclement weather.
Applications to participate in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (performance groups, marching bands) are linked here.
Tournament of Roses Parade: Hotel accommodations should be made well in advance of New Year’s; Visit the Pasadena and Convention and Visitor's Bureau for more information.
Grandstand tickets with assigned seats for the parade are available for purchase (at face value) from February 1st through December 31st through the Sharp Seating Company (626-795-4171). Every person must have a ticket to sit in the grandstand, although children age two and younger may sit on an adult’s lap (if the child sits on a grandstand seat, he or she will need a ticket). The Tournament of Roses also offers Rose Parade and/or Rose Bowl tour packages. Curbside viewing for the Tournament of Roses Parade is available for those who get there early enough; you can stake out a place along the parade route as early as noon the day before. For information about curbside viewing, contact the Pasadena Police Department.
Applications to participate in the Tournament of Roses Parade (floats, bands and horses) are linked here.
More Information
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
New York Tourist-Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Tournament of Roses
Rose Parade FAQs
Rose Parade Grandstand Seating FAQs
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