Today, as always, the 89th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade winds its way from 77th Street and Central Park West to the front doors of Macy’s Herald Square. The parade has been an annual, and beloved tradition since 1924. (From 1942 to 1944, it was put on hold thanks to World War II.)
What does the parade cost? A Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade spokesman said:
“Thanks for thinking of us. Unfortunately, we do not disclose any costs associated with the production of the Macy’s Parade.”
But it’s broadcast annually by NBC and I’m sure it costs to get your float in the parade and then there’s ad revenue, so it might actually be a money-maker for the retailer. (Let’s hope so, they’ve had a not-so-great year, closing many locations across the country….) Thousands of Macy’s employees VOLUNTEER to help with the parade, so no wonder Macy’s is mum on the subject of money. Here’s some info we DO know:
THE PARADE BY THE NUMBERS
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The number of giant character balloons, four of which—Ice Age’s Scrat and his acorn, Angry Birds’ Red, Sinclair Oil’s Dino, and Ronald McDonald—are new this year$190,000
Cost of a first-time balloon40 Tons
The weight of sandbags holding down balloons90 Minutes
Length of time needed to inflate the balloons300,000 – 700,000 Cubic Feet
The amount of helium needed to inflate the balloons. The parade is the second largest consumer of helium, outside the U.S. government7 Hours
How long it takes to inflate the parade’s balloons in front of the American Museum of Natural History on the Upper West Side of Manhattan90 People
The average number of people it takes to handle each of the parade’s balloons1,000
Clowns (to some, this is the opposite of fun)1,100
Cheerleaders and dancers from around the country1,300
The number of additional officers the NYPD says are on dutyfrom counterterrorism-related units at the parade today.4,000
Macy’s employee volunteers10,000
Marchers2.5 Miles
Length of parade route visible to the public$178
Average price of AirBnB listing in NYC on the day of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade$207 – $690
Price of grandstand tickets on the secondary market. Grandstand tickets are otherwise not for sale to the general public, instead reserved for friends and family members of parade participants.$1,100
Per-night cost for the 3-night Thanksgiving package at Marriott’s Times Square hotel$2 Million
The amount spent on costumes3.5 Million
The number of peoples seeing it in person in New York City, in the best weather possible.50 Million
The number of people are watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV today
(Photo, Getty; via Time)
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