The 2015 Macy’s Day Parade will continue its Thanksgiving Day tradition by taking place the morning of November 26. The parade has a very interesting history. The Macy’s Day Parade started in 1924 in New York City when the Macy’s department store on 34th Street became the world’s largest store. The parade was originally called the “Macy’s Christmas Parade” because it was advertising their selection of Christmas gifts. It started as a six-mile route from 145th Street and Convent Avenue to 34th Street and Herald Square. It now extends 2.5 miles from 77th Street and Central Park West to the front doors of Macy’s on 34th Street. The first parade, on November 27, 1924, starred many zoo animals from the Central Park Zoo, but as they started to become tired, they growled at children and were eventually taken away in 1927. The animals were replaced by helium balloons that same year. The first balloons were Felix the Cat and a Toy Soldier. In 1928, the helium balloons were released into the air at the end of the route, but exploded when reaching an extremely high altitude. The following year, they redesigned the balloons and added a return label so that whoever caught the balloons could bring them back for a prize. With the exception of 1933, Santa Claus has concluded the parade every year.

Although the parade was said to march through the city no matter the conditions, between 1942 and 1944, the parade was canceled because of World War II. They proved that they could walk through anything in 1989 when the parade marchers trudged through their first blizzard.

Since the debut of the Macy’s Day Parade, many attractions have been added to the lineup. There are balloons, floats, marching bands, celebrities and performances from Broadway shows.

The parade can be seen on Central Park West and down from 59th to 38th Streets. 34th Street to 38th Street has limited viewing because the television broadcasters tend to record this section of the parade route. The parade ends at Herald Square and Macy’s.

Although the parade was originally intended to advertise the newly-expanded department store, it has become a nationwide festival, celebrating Christmas on Thanksgiving. This year, the parade will be aired on NBC’s television station.