Though there is no official documents about when the day parade was started but first Thanksgiving Day Parade was probably started in 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed an official day of Thanksgiving. The idea behind day parade was a show of military strength and discipline as a full-dress parade to honour the official declaration by the president.
Houston’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Houston’s Thanksgiving Parade was established in 1949. Today this parade is capable of pulling in hundreds of thousands of spectators as well as millions of television viewers. In the Houston’s Thanksgiving Parade around 3000 participants prepare a show for nearly 400,000 spectators.
The main attractions of the Houston’s Thanksgiving Parade are procession of floats, giant balloon figures, marching bands and drill teams that fill the streets of downtown Houston with fun and joy.
A new Houston’s Thanksgiving Parade route takes the procession in an easterly direction along Texas, Main and Dallas Streets, ending near the convention center. Later in the day, the Texas ‘bigger-is-better’ tradition comes to the fore with the lighting of 80 Christmas trees along Post Oak Boulevard in the city’s Uptown section.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
In the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, according to the parade organizers, there will be five brand new balloons out of the 15 giant balloons at this year’s thanksgiving parade. Joining the zany cast of inflatable characters will also be 28 floats and falloons, which is a combination of a float with a balloon.
Among the brand new five balloons there are Pokemon character Pikachu, a new animated movie star named Jimmy Neutron, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese mascot Cheeseasaurus Rex, a 60-years-young Curious George, and an old familiar face making a much anticipated return to the parade, the Big Bird.
In order to celebrate the diamond anniversary of this parade the organizers are going to bring back the small recreations of the balloons that were displayed in the past. Grandparents and parents might recognize those balloons such as the Hippopotamus, Toy Soldier, the Elf, and Harold the Fireman, all of which debuted in the 1940s when they all would have been young.
As usual, the parade will end with a visit from Santa Clause. St. Nick will get settled in Macy’s department store after the parade to start a month-long search for who’s been naughty and who’s been nice.
Though the elaborate floats, musical shows and entertainment celebrities of the modern thanksgiving parade have replaced the parades of armed and uniformed men marching in cadence or to a military band, but the desired effect of lifting the spirits of the spectators of the parade remains the only objective.