With an audience of over 250,000 people, the parade was such a success that Macy's declared it would become an annual event, despite media reports only barely covering the first parade. At this first parade, Santa was enthroned on the Macy's balcony at the 34th Street store entrance, where he was then crowned 'King of the Kiddies'. At the end of that first parade, Santa Claus was welcomed into Herald Square. There were floats, professional bands and live animals borrowed from the Central Park Zoo. In 1924, store employees marched to Macy's Herald Square, the flagship store on 34th Street, dressed in vibrant costumes. The Parade's workforce is made up of Macy's employees and their friends and family, all of whom work as volunteers. Eastern Standard Time on Thanksgiving Day, and has been televised nationally on NBC since 1953. The three-hour parade is held in Manhattan, ending outside Macy's Herald Square, takes place from 9:00 a.m.

The Parade first took place in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States with America's Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit (with both parades being four years younger than Philadelphia's Thanksgiving Day Parade). The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade in New York City presented by the U.S.-based department store chain Macy's.

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