Parade Features
Other Features

Floats
Marching Bands
Other Features

Below are just a few of the things that provide entertainment for spectators at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

 

Clowns

Since the first parade in 1924 clowns have had a presence in the procession. They appear in units, interspersed throughout the parade. For example, in 2003 there were 30 units of clowns to perform for young spectators. [1] Over the parade's lifespan, more than 50,000 clowns have marched down Broadway.[2] To the left is a photo of a troup of roller-skating clowns from 1970.

Cars

Smaller than the traditional platform floats, fantastical cars provide another vehicle to carry "celebrities" and delight parade-goers with familiar figures. Some cars to appear have included the Ronald McDonald shoe car (to the right), the Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine, the Pokemobile (representing the show Pokemon), the Planter's Nut Mobile, and Chitty-Chitty-Bang Bang.

Cheerleaders and Dancers

Like the marching bands, these groups often come from high schools across the nation. Dancers may also be professionals, as are the Radio City Rockettes who have performed for the parade in the past. There is always a special coreographed number for dancers to perform at Herald Square.

Balloonheads

Appearing periodically throughout the parade's history, balloonheads are a creation that places an inflated balloon atop a human being's shoulders. The result is a figure with an enormous comical head, like those of the Marx Brothers shown at the left. The walker's real head is hidden in the neck of the costume.

Balloonicles

Balloonicles are a combination balloon and self-propelled vehicle that originated in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The three featured here have appeared in the parade for several years, and are fashioned after the long-lived children's toys called "Weebles," immortalized by their jingle "Weebles wobble but they don't fall down."

 


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[Images]
Andover one-wheelers image courtesy of: <http://www.andover.k12.nh.us/onewheel/macys92.htm>
Clowns image courtesy of: <http://spot.pcc.edu/~mtrigobo/personal/mclowns.html>
Ronald Shoe car image courtesy of: <http://www.scottdecker.com/new_york_city/pictures_november_22_2001.html>
Cheerleaders image courtesy of: Leo Cloutier <http://www.pbase.com/traderboynh/macys_thanksgiving_day_parade>
Dancers image courtesy of: < http://www.danceadts.com/summercamps.htm >
Marx Bros. Balloonheads image courtesy of: Geoff Fox <http://www.geofffox.com/gallery/Macys-Thanksgiving-Day-Parade?page=2>
Weebles Balloonicles image courtesy of: < http://mediaroom.toro.com/grounds/photogallery.htm>l ©2005, The Toro Company 
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[Citations]
[1] "Caution: parade under construction. (behind the scenes of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade)," Weekly Reader, Senior Edition, InfoTrac OneFile, November 2003, <http:find.galegroup.com/itx/retrieve.do?subjectParam=Locale%2528ed%252CUS%252C> (6 December 2005).
[2] "Facts about the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade," NYC & Company, n.d., <http://www.nycvisit.com/content/index.cfm?pagePkey=800> (6 December 05).
   

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