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Intro to Parade Features |
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A parade is only as good as its elements, and Macy’s has enjoyed international fame and popularity for its unique features. The most noticeable feature that sets Macy’s apart from other parades is its use of gigantic helium balloons; however, it also presents a yearly array of marching bands, floats, cars, cheerleaders, clowns, performers of every variety imaginable, and celebrities (among others), with a culmination in the presentation of the Macy’s Santa Claus. Over the years the features of the parade have undergone many changes, rearrangements, and developments. When the parade first began, it resembled a circus procession, and its themes were reminiscent of story book tales, folk-lore, and nursery rhymes. It had none of its now famous balloons, floats were pulled by horseback, and the parade displayed live animals from the Central Park Zoo.
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Originally the marchers were primarily some 300 Macy’s store employees who appeared in costume as clowns, cowboys, knights, and sheiks—this simplicity later gave way to a parade staffed by roughly ten thousand volunteers, including professional performers and school children from across the nation, and with the rise of television, celebrities. Today the parade’s features are heavily influenced by television and other forms of pop-culture. There have even been years throughout its lifespan in which the parade was entirely reordered, such as in 1940 when the attractions were arranged to represent a continuous story of the alphabet. Regardless of its many evolutions, the parade now maintains a distinct essence that distinguishes it in the minds of millions of spectators. For more detailed information on the various elements of the parade, use the toolbar at the top of the page. For a more in-depth account of how these features reflected the times, click here.
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