News 2006
THE 80th ANNUAL MACY'S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE ® JUMP STARTS THE HOLIDAY
SEASON
New York, NY – November 2006 - Macy's is ready to serve up another healthy
helping of fun and laughter at the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day
Parade ® , also known as America’s Parade. On Thanksgiving day at 9AM, 10,000
Macy's employees, volunteers and all-around Parade enthusiasts will
convene on 77th and Central Park West to kick off the longest running
show down Broadway. To the delight of 2.5 million spectators along the
line of the march, wondrous balloons, fantastic floats, heart-pounding
marching bands and hordes of clowns will fill the streets of the Big Apple
at the sound of LET’S HAVE A PARADE!
Entertaining children big and small since 1924, the Parade’s #1 priority
has always been to put smiles on faces and laughter in the air. With
returning friends and a few new ones, this year’s Parade promises to be
the biggest and best one yet. For most of the year, the Macy's Parade
Studio has worked tirelessly and effortlessly to bring excitement and
newness to the Parade. Always with an eye toward the future, the Studio
has designed two new technologically advanced elements, the Balloonicle –
a cold air inflatable balloon that fits securely over a small utility
vehicle, (hence the name balloon-icle); and the first square balloon,
which is actually a single chamber, spherical balloon that is shaped into
a square by 610 internal tie lines. Both of which, complement the classic
family fun that the Parade is known for.
Macy's recently added another feature to the Parade, The Design a Balloon
Contest. In early 2004 kids from across the country, between the ages of
five and twelve, were asked to design a special balloon for the 78th
annual Parade. Thousands of submissions were received and one lucky
winner, a seven year old from California, Alexandra Morra, was chosen. A new design is chosen every year.
“We tend to think of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade as the opening act
of the holiday season,” says Robin Hall, Executive Producer of the Parade.
“The Parade, like the holiday it celebrates, is an event that brings
friends and families together. And, watching the Parade is a cherished
holiday ritual for millions of people, whether they are lined up along our
famous Parade route or huddled in front of their televisions watching the
NBC broadcast.”
It’s only fitting that the star of
Thanksgiving Day, the Tom Turkey float leads the way to Herald Square and
the star of the holiday season, Santa Claus closes the festivities as he
makes his much anticipated return flight from the North Pole. With 800
cheerleaders, 500 clowns, 23 floats, 15 giant helium character balloons,
10 marching bands, 9 novelty balloons, 2 toy floats, 2 falloons, scores of
celebrities and more than 10,000 employees, the Parade, with all its pomp
and pageantry, is the biggest and longest running show down Broadway!
Stepping off at 77th Street and Central Park
West, the next annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will bring a host of
family favorites but also a few new aces down the block. Recently joining the line up are three new giant helium balloons including the ever
tenacious, Chicken Little; the self-absorbed SpongeBob SquarePants and the
milk chocolate candies that melt your heart, M&M’s Red and Yellow. Steady
as they go, the Weebles, as the Parade’s first-ever Balloonicle, will
wobble but not fall down as they make there way along the line of the march.
In addition, the Parade’s inaugural class also features eight extravagant Floats that’ll provide staging for Mattel’s
Barbie, Barbie as the Princess & the Pauper; Universal Orlando, Holiday
Beat; Dixie Georgia-Pacific, Krazy Kritters; Fisher-Price, The Magic of
Childhood; Sesame Workshop, 123 Sesame Street; National Football League,
NFL Classic; Discovery Kids, Tutenstein and Royal Caribbean International,
Voyage to Adventure.
The Parade can be seen in its entirety simultaneously on NBC as well as
Telemundo. Together they will officially start the
nation’s Thanksgiving celebration. The telecast will air from 9:00 AM to
12 Noon in each of the four time zones in the continental United States.
Broadcast on NBC since 1948, the Parade has been transformed by television
into a national fête! Macy's and NBC have enjoyed a broadcast relationship
for more than 50 years! Telemundo will also present the telecast in
Spanish, live from Herald Square. With a combined estimated audience of
more than 50 million television viewers, the broadcast is a true national
televised event! Star power on Thanksgiving morning will include
performances from some of the hottest Broadway shows.
As Santa comes into view at the Parade’s
finale everyone knows that the holidays are officially here! Straight from
the North Pole to Herald Square, Santa Claus, the Grand Marshall of the
Parade, ushers in the season as his magnificent sleigh led by his famous
reindeer rides into Herald Square. Bedecked with elves, gumdrops, candy
canes, wreaths, ribbons, ornaments, and gifts galore, Santa’s sleigh will
be preempted by The Santa Claus Escort Band. Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Further information on the Parade can be
obtained by calling Macy's Parade Hotline at (212) 494-4495 or via
macysparade.com.
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