Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade: Fun facts by the numbers

It’s a hard number to swallow. Maybe harder than a dried-out slice of turkey. About 3.5 million people show up to line the streets of New York City every year to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Now it’s hard to know exactly how many of those 3.5 million are New Jersey residents crossing the river to attend, but it must be a huge percentage given our proximity. Is it worth it? I’ve never gone. The weather is a wildcard. Getting back to New Jersey when maybe a million others are also trying to has to be insane.

This year is the 99th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and here are some fun numbers and facts, whether you’re watching it in person or on TV.

The very first one took place in 1924. This year would have been the 102nd, but it was canceled in 1942, 1943, and 1944 because of World War II. Rubber and helium were needed for the war effort.

Read More: Turkey, Traffic, and Tears: A Very New Jersey Thanksgiving Story

How much helium is used today?

Each year, between 400,000 to 700,000 cubic feet of helium is used to float those balloons. This makes the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade the second largest consumer of helium in the United States, behind the federal government. (Kylie Moore sucking down helium balloons to sing show tunes like a Munchkin is third.)

The tallest balloon in the parade’s history was in 1986 when Olive Oyl measured 102 feet.

The average parade float, once it is designed, takes four months to construct.

Last year, for the entire parade, 200 pounds of confetti were used along with 2,000 pounds of paint and 300 pounds of glitter.

ALSO SEE: Thanksgiving dinners in NJ 2025: Where to eat out this year

First parade televised

The first year the parade was televised was 1946, but only locally in New York. The following year, it was televised nationally for the first time, and today, over 30 million people tune in.

“Stranger Things” fans and LEGO fans will appreciate two of the six new floats this year with those as themes.

All together there will be 29 floats in this year’s parade, 34 massive balloons, 11 marching bands, nine performance groups, 33 clown crews, and more than 5,000 volunteers to make it all happen.