"For millions of Americans, Thanksgiving morning begins the same way: in front of a television, watching giant character balloons float down Manhattan's streets while professional dancers, elaborate floats, and celebrity performers parade past. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade drew over 31 million viewers across the U.S. last year, including about 3.5 million people who actually lined up on New York City's streets to watch it in person."
"Abraham Lincoln was still two years away from becoming president, having recently delivered his famous "House Divided" speech. Macy, a former Nantucket whaler whose red star tattoo from his sailing days would become the company's logo, had finally found a formula that worked after four previous failed attempts in the retail space. But business picked up, and by 1924, Macy's had relocated to Herald Square and grown into the world's largest retail space."
"That year, a significant percentage of Macy's workforce consisted of first-generation European immigrants. According to Susan Tercero, the executive producer of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, "there were a lot of folks who worked for Macy's who were immigrants from Europe and when they got to the holiday season, a lot of them came together and approached leadership and said that they really wanted to celebrate the holidays in a wa"
Millions of Americans start Thanksgiving morning by watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, with giant character balloons, dancers, elaborate floats, and celebrity performers. The parade drew over 31 million U.S. viewers last year and about 3.5 million in-person spectators in New York City. The parade originated from an idea brought by Macy's employees to company leadership more than a century ago. Rowland Hussey Macy opened a dry goods store in Manhattan in 1858 and expanded over decades; by 1924 Macy's occupied Herald Square and employed many first-generation European immigrants who sought holiday celebration.
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