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America’s Thanksgiving Parade Celebrates 100 Years

Here, we present some photos and facts on the century-old tradition.

November 22, 2024

Big_Bird — Big Bird towers over Woodward Avenue for America’s Thanksgiving Parade presented by Gardner White. // Photograph courtesy of The Parade Company.

One hundred years ago on Nov. 27, 1924, the Michigan Thanksgiving Parade (now known as America’s Thanksgiving Parade) first took place on Woodward Avenue. And thus began a beloved holiday tradition of families bundling up in the cold in downtown Detroit to watch colorful themed floats, clowns, and marching bands pass by while waiting for the arrival of Santa Claus at the conclusion, when he receives the key to the city from the mayor.

Chances are you’ve been to the parade (attendance has reached in the hundreds of thousands), but how much do you really know about it? Here are five facts we’d like to parade out in honor of one of Detroit’s grandest and oldest traditions.

Cinderella’s carriage in 1957 was pulled by six white horses. The Disney princess has been a part of many parades since. // Photograph courtesy of The Parade Company.

In this photo from the mid-’60s, a group of paradegoers watches floats go by. // Photograph courtesy of The Parade Company.

The Old Mother Goose float led Detroit’s first Thanksgiving parade in 1924. It measured 18 feet long and 15 feet wide and was pulled by horses. // Photograph by The Parade Company.

1. Founded by the J.L. Hudson’s Department store, the first parade took place at the same time Macy’s inaugurated its Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City.
2. A store-sponsored Thanksgiving parade originated in the United States with Philadelphia’s Gimbel Bros. department store in 1920. However, reportedly, Charles F. Wendel, the display manager at the J.L. Hudson Co. who conceived of the Detroit parade, was first inspired by Eaton’s Santa Claus Parade in Toronto, which began in 1905.
3. Detroit’s first Thanksgiving parade featured horses pulling 10 nursery rhyme-themed floats, led by one decorated with Mother Goose; four Hudson’s employees wearing large papier mâché heads made in Italy; seven high school marching bands; and the arrival of Santa Claus.
4. The parade was the first broadcast locally on radio station WWJ in 1931 and first televised locally in 1948, and in 1952, began broadcasting the event nationally. It was later featured on CBS and ABC.
5. Due to the shortages of materials during World War II, the parade was suspended in 1942 and 1944 but returned in 1945 when nearly 100,000 thrilled spectators lined the Woodward parade route once again. The two-year suspension is why this year’s parade is called the 98th annual.

Looking for details on America’s Thanksgiving Parade 2024, visit hourdetroit.com for more.

This story originally appeared in the November 2024 issue of Hour Detroit magazine. To read more, pick up a copy of Hour Detroit at a local retail outlet. Our digital edition will be available on Nov. 6.