Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade By The Numbers

It began in 1924 when Macy’s employees came together to celebrate the Christmas holiday. In recent years, it’s ballooned into something gargantuan. In 2020, the parade was a televised-only event: the first-ever pandemic parade. But this season, the Thanksgiving Day tradition we all know and love is back in full swing: watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Whether it’s for the floats, the music, or the 1,000 clowns, Americans find the parade truly fascinating. But just what goes into producing the seasonal spectacle lining the streets of New York City?

Some Crazy Parade Numbers to Feast on This Thanksgiving Day:

The first parade was held on November 27, 1924, and more than 250,000 people attended!
The current route of the parade, in miles, from 77th Street and Central Park West to the Macy’s Store at 34th Street and Broadway is 2.5 miles !
The parade has only been canceled 3 times , all as a result of World War II in 1942, 1943, and 1944.
Three-and-a-half-million people , attend the parade each year to watch in person.
In 1989, 4.7 inches of rain downpoured on the people and the parade.
To produce the once-a-year Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, it costs an estimated 12 million dollars .
Ronald McDonald has appeared as a float 17 times , sporting size 200 XXXXXXXL-wide shoes

Ronald McDonald Balloon — Editorial credit: Scott Cornell / Shutterstock.com

It takes an 18-month timeframe to plan the event!
The coldest-ever parade was held in 2018 at a frigid 19 degrees Fahrenheit.
Snoopy has made 40 parade appearances —the most of any balloon character!

Snoopy Parade Balloon — Editorial credit: NYC Russ / Shutterstock.com

The first Mickey Mouse balloon, which debuted in 1934, was 40 feet tall .
Fifty million people tune in to the televised broadcast of the parade every year.
It takes 90 minutes to inflate just one of the parade balloons.

Olaf Balloon Inflation — Olaf the Snowman 2018 Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon inflation. Takes place the day before the parade on 77th and 81st streets on either side of the American Museum of Natural History. || CC: Rhododendrites via Wikimedia Commons

It’s been 97 years since the very first Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade.
To volunteer, participants must weigh at least 120 pounds !
Each float uses a whopping 200 pounds of glitter .
There are over 300 wardrobe and make-up artists hired for the event, as well as over 600 performing cheerleaders and dancers!
It takes 750 pounds of gas to inflate just one balloon.
In order to corral the 50+ giant balloons throughout the parade route, 1,600 handlers are needed to walk along with them!

Elf on the shelf balloon — Elf on the Shelf and balloon handlers || CC: Charley Lhasa from New York City via Wikimedia Commons

The first character balloons debuted in 1927 and included a 60-foot-long dinosaur and a 25-foot-long dachshund .
The iconic Rockettes made their first appearance in 1957.
On a typical parade year, 2,800 marching band members from all over the country perform throughout the parade.
The parade is host to over 8,000 participants , including celebrities, Broadway performers, marching band members, dancers, and Macy’s employees.
Macy’s employees estimate that they work a collective 50,000 hours each year to make this historical event come to life!