Who formed the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade and why?

Answer 1

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade debuted on Thanksgiving day in 1924, as the Macy's Christmas Parade. The celebration was designed to kick off the holiday shopping season, which traditionally begins the day after Thanksgiving (now called Black Friday).

Answer 2

Macy's Thanksgiving day parade, launched in 1924, was originally called Macy's Christmas Parade. The parade's purpose was no so much to celebrate Thanksgiving as as to generate excitement for the official start of the holiday shopping season (now called Black Friday), which began the day after Thanksgiving.

Answer 3

No, the Mummers Parade is a New Year's Day tradition held in Philadelphia, PA, which is also home of the first Thanksgiving Day Parade, sponsored by Gimbel Brothers (Gimbels).

The Mummers Parade traces its roots to the mid-17th century, and has been celebrated in the United States since George Washington's era, if not earlier.

The origin of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was the Macy's Christmas Parade, which began on Thanksgiving day, November 27, 1924. The parade emulated Gimbels Thanksgiving Day parade, the nation's first, initiated on November 25, 1920. While the parades are held on Thanksgiving day, their real purpose is to generate enthusiasm for the holiday shopping season, which officially begins the day after Thanksgiving.

Answer 4

In the 1920s many of Macy's department store employees were immigrants. They wanted to celebrate Thanksgiving with a festival that was commonly performed in Europe. In 1924, the "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Christmas Parade" was put on by the store. Employees and professional entertainers all wore costumes and did performances. They had floats, professional bands and animals from the Central Park Zoo. It ended up that a quarter of a million people showed up to watch and so they decided to make it an annual event.