Jonathan Ng
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in the 1970s was a vibrant and cherished tradition that provided a few hours of joy in a New York City facing tough times. While the city struggled with a financial crisis and urban decay, the parade remained a colorful spectacle of giant balloons, Broadway stars, and holiday cheer.
Sesame Street Floats into Town
The 1970s saw the parade embrace the characters from one of television’s most beloved new shows, Sesame Street. A giant Big Bird balloon made its debut, becoming an instant classic and a symbol of the parade for a new generation of children. This decade solidified the presence of characters who were household names, connecting the parade directly to the pop culture that families were watching at home.
The decade also continued the flight of a new Snoopy balloon, introduced in 1969 as an Apollo astronaut to celebrate the moon landing. This version of Snoopy, complete with a space helmet, floated through the early 70s, reflecting the nation’s fascination with space exploration.
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A Rolling Showcase for Broadway
The parade served as a crucial national stage for Broadway’s biggest hits. The live television broadcast paused in front of Macy’s Herald Square to feature performances from the original casts of the decade’s landmark musicals.
Shows like the soulful and spectacular “The Wiz” (1975) and the optimistic story of “Annie” (1977) used the parade to showcase their famous songs and dazzling costumes to millions of potential ticket buyers across the country. This tradition cemented the parade’s role as a major launching pad for Broadway productions.
The Night Before Thanksgiving
An unofficial tradition began to take hold during this decade. The massive process of inflating the giant balloons on the streets of the Upper West Side the night before Thanksgiving started attracting large crowds of curious onlookers. New Yorkers would gather to watch characters like Snoopy and Bullwinkle slowly take shape under the giant nets, transforming the neighborhood into a temporary, open-air museum. This pre-parade spectacle became a beloved tradition in its own right.
A Parade Through a Different City
The colorful procession of floats and bands marched through a city that looked very different from the one seen on television. The parade route passed by areas marked by the graffiti and grit that defined 1970s New York. For the millions of New Yorkers who lined the streets, the parade was a powerful and welcome contrast to the daily struggles of the city, a few hours where spectacle and celebration took over. The national broadcast, hosted for many years by celebrities like Betty White, presented a polished, festive image to the rest of the country.
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