Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade - New York, NY
Posted by: 
hykesj
N 40° 44.995 W 073° 59.289
18T E 585419 N 4511487
A holiday tradition since 1924, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade definitely rates as a bucket list item.
Waymark Code: WM1698C
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 06/05/2022
Views: 8
Personally, I always considered Thanksgiving a day for football rather than parades but having lived in the greater New York area for most of my life, I figured I was without excuse for not taking the kids to see the Macy’s parade. So, one year we decided to go, and it turned out to be a worthwhile experience.
The Macy’s parade has been televised nationally since 1953 and typically attracts over 40 million viewers. Although there are no official estimates for in-person attendance, some put the figure at over a million. Since the late 1920s, the hallmark of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has been the giant helium-filled balloons. These balloons are typically five or six stories high and require about 90 people to handle them. Some balloon characters are perennial favorites such as Mickey Mouse, but each year seems to feature someone new.
The parade route is about two and a half miles long. It starts on Central Park West at 77th St. and ends at Herald Square in front of Macy’s department store. The coordinates provided are for this end point, but the parade may be viewed from anywhere along the route. (You can check the official website for the complete detailed route.) Another popular activity is to watch the balloons being inflated the night before near the Museum of Natural History up along Central Park West.
Name of Source Book: 1000 Places To See Before You Die - In the USA and Canada (2007)
Page Location in Source Book: 181
Type of Waymark: Event
Location of Coordinates: Macy's department store, Herald Square, NYC
Cost of Admission (Parks, Museums, etc.): 0.00 (listed in local currency)
List Available Hours, Dates, Season:
Annually on Thanksgiving Day, starting at 9:00 am.
Official Tourism Website: [Web Link]
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Visit Instructions:
Because of the vastness of many of the "non-localized" sites (Gobi Desert, Great Wall of China), waymark owners are encouraged to allow visits that reflect different perspectives and experiences.
Localized waymark sites (Structures, Landmarks, Businesses) should reflect standard waymarking visit criteria (Logs & photos).