Thanksgiving Parade

On Thanksgiving morning in 1924, Macy's department store in NYC held a parade to drum up business and publicity.

The theme was Christmas and of course shopping for gifts. Store employees dressed in outrageous costumes and walked six miles from Harlem down to the Macy's flagship store in Herald Square, accompanied by festive floats and animals from the Central Park Zoo.

The first parade ended with Santa Claus ascending to a golden throne above the store's entrance and inviting thousand sof customers to come and shop. The parade was such a success that it became an annual tradition.