Thanksgiving Day Parade Marches Through Philadelphia
The 98th annual Thanksgiving Day Parade will make its way through the streets of Center City beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning. Philadelphia’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is credited as the oldest Thanksgiving Day parade in the country.
The parade is sponsored by 6ABC and Dunkin Donuts. It spans 1.4 miles starting at LOVE Park and ending just past the Art Museum.
Introduced to Philadelphia in 1920, the tradition of the Thanksgiving Day Parade has carried on through the generations. Children and adults are drawn to the colorful floats, high flying balloons, and live music and entertainment promised each year. The first parade consisted of only 50 people and has since expanded to include thousands of performers and participants.
The crowd has also grown since the parade’s inception. Starting with only a few hundred guests, the parade has grown to see crowds upwards of 2,000 people.
In 1966, 6ABC picked up the parade for live coverage. Since then, the news station has partnered with brands like IKEA, Boscov’s, and MasterCard. In 2011 the company partnered with Dunkin Donuts, and has continued to work with the coffee giant to fund the floats and balloons.
Many of the beloved giant balloons return in the 98th parade including Bugs Bunny, Strawberry Shortcake, Gingerbread Man, and Very Hungry Caterpillar. Joining the celebration this year will be Fiddlesticks the Holiday Mouse, Thing One and Thing Two, and Penguins of Madagascar.
High school marching bands will also travel to the City of Brotherly Love to bring live musical entertainment to visitors of the Thanksgiving tradition. From Pennsylvania Carlisle High School and Pennsbury High School will be featured performances. Some schools that will be participating in the festivities will travel all the way from Florida to be a part of the parade.
Dozens of floats will also move down the route with famous singers, actors, and icons. This year attendees will hear the voices of Melinda Doolittle, Jusin Guarini, and Billy Gilman. Broadway productions of Aladdin, Annie, The Color Purple, and Waitress will also be featured along the route. Other Philadelphia icons in this years’ parade are Miss Pennsylvania and the Eagles Cheerleaders.
As per tradition, the parade comes to a close with Santa in his sleigh marking the official unofficial start of the holiday season.
The parade will continue its food drive where ABC and Dunkin Donuts work with Boy Scouts of America Cradle of Liberty Council to collect goods for the Scouting For Food program. The collection has been going on for over 25 years and has benefitted the Philadelphia area in its work to feed the hungry.
Visit Philly has a list of recommended places to watch the parade in person. If you can’t make the festivities, the parade will be broadcast live on ABC.
