The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has become an irreplaceable staple of Thanksgiving festivities.
Every year, 3.5 million people flock to New York City to see the parade march down a two-and-a-half mile stretch of Manhattan.
Another 50 million people gather around their television sets to watch the event from home.
What began as a small Macy's employee-run event called Macy's Christmas Parade, has morphed into a huge production that requires almost an entire year's worth of preparation.
Macy's 88th Annual Thanksgiving Day spectacle will feature appearances from Idina Menzel, KISS, and The Vamps. Six new balloons including Paddington Bear will make their debut in the parade.
Christina Austin and Jennifer Michalski contributed to this report.
The first Macy's Day Parade was on November 27 in 1924. The parade originally featured Macy's employees and live animals from the Central Park Zoo. Floats, instead of balloons, were the main attraction.
The parade began in Harlem at 145th Street and ended in front of the Macy's flagship store on 34th Street. It was originally called the Macy's Christmas Parade, but was renamed the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade in 1927.
(Above photo is from 1994)
An estimated 250,000 spectators attended the first parade. Today, about 3.5 million people attend.
(Above photo is from 2007)
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