How New York Spends  Thanksgiving 

By Christian De Jesus 

Every November 24th, a huge festival is held in New York called the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. It’s the second oldest Thanksgiving parade in the US (the first being the Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit), It has gone on for 96 years, including this one, and takes place from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm Eastern time. This event is so prevalent, in fact, that it’s televised across the nation with an average of 2.5 million viewers each year. Not only is this one of the most popular parades in the US, it also manages to bring in 24.1 million dollars each year from economic activity and 5 million in the free promotion and advertising from the event being televised. It’s a good thing, too, because each year, the parade costs a whopping 10 million to host.

Not only is this a huge money maker for New York, but it is also an excellent time for families, with little children getting the chance to see their icons in the air as giant balloons. Even though the parade is fun, there is an event the day before that is way better for children. The night before the train, the characters are blown up and the kids get to see them come to life. At the event, there is also a place where volunteers blow up balloons for the show, making it a joyful place where everyone comes together as a community to help set the parade up. This also makes it festive and lively for the people who decide to spend their time helping others.