kids encyclopedia robot

Chicago Thanksgiving Parade facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The Chicago Thanksgiving Parade, also known as "Chicago's Grand Holiday Tradition," is a yearly parade held in downtown Chicago, Illinois. It takes place every Thanksgiving morning from 8:00 am to 11:00 am CST. You can watch it on local TV channels like WAOE and its sister stations. For many years, it was also shown nationwide on WGN-TV and its superstation channel.

History of the Parade

In 1934, the United States was going through a tough time called the Great Depression. Many leaders in Chicago wanted to find ways to help the economy and cheer people up. Walter Gregory, who was in charge of Chicago's State Street Council, suggested a Christmas parade to Mayor Edward Kelly. He hoped it would make Chicago residents feel better. The Mayor agreed, especially because he thought it could help Chicago's economy.

Chicago's first Christmas Parade happened on State Street on December 7, 1934. Walter Gregory and a person dressed as Santa Claus led the parade. It was full of toys and items from stores on State Street. Just as the city leaders hoped, the parade helped the local economy grow. In fact, 1934 had the biggest holiday shopping season in Chicago since 1927. This was very exciting and surprising for the whole city. Not only was it during the Depression, but the weather that day was also extremely cold, with some parts of Illinois reaching fourteen degrees below zero Fahrenheit.

In 1935, the city's money problems were even worse because of the Depression. They couldn't afford the fancy floats used the year before. However, the parade had been so successful that the State Street Council and the City of Chicago decided to use an old trolley to pull the floats. This worked because there were trolley tracks on State Street at the time.

The parade even continued during World War II.

In 1968, the Mayor's Office of Special Events took over running the parade. The State Street Council said they could no longer pay for it. Mayor Richard J. Daley promised the children of Chicago that Santa Claus would still come to town as usual.

In 1969, the Chicago Tribune newspaper reported that more than 1.5 million people watched the parade along its route.

In 1981, over 100 Santas gave out more than 10,000 balloons. Hundreds of thousands of people watched the parade.

The parade got its first main sponsor in 1984. It was renamed "The Ronald McDonald Children's Charities Parade." The parade route also changed from State Street to Michigan Avenue. McDonald's was the main sponsor until 1989, and they have continued to support the parade in some way ever since.

In 1990, the parade became known as "The Brach's Kid's Holiday Parade." The local candy company, Brach's Confections, Inc., was the main sponsor until 1998.

In 1998, Marshall Field's became the main sponsor. The parade was called "The Field's Jingle Elf Parade" until 2001. The Radio City Rockettes started a three-year tradition of opening the TV broadcast with their high-kicking dance. That same year, the parade began to feature several giant character balloons. Starting with Kermit the Frog and Billy Blazes, Chicago's Thanksgiving Parade has introduced more famous character balloons since then than almost any other parade in the country.

In 1999, Target joined Marshall Field's as a main sponsor. The parade moved back to State Street, and for the first time, it took place on Thanksgiving Day.

In 2001, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus became the parade's new opening act. They held this spot until 2016. This year, the circus brought the first elephant to appear in the parade.

The "Target Thanksgiving Parade" was created in 2002 when Target became the main sponsor. That year, the Chicago Festival Association (CFA) signed a five-year deal to show the parade nationally with ABC 7 Chicago. A partnership between CFA and The League of Chicago Theatres also started. This led to local and national theater groups performing parts of their shows in the parade.

In 2003, the parade was renamed the "State Street Thanksgiving Parade." It featured its first group from Hawaii, E la Ka Hololio Me Ke Kahiau, a traditional horse-riding group from Kailua, Hawaii.

In 2004, the City of Zurich (Switzerland) Police Band made its Chicago debut. It was the first international group to appear in the parade.

In 2006, the parade became the "McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade." The McDonald's Owners of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana and the McDonald's Corporation announced they would be the main sponsors for two years. Nearly half a million people watched on State Street during one of the warmest Thanksgiving mornings on record.

In 2007, WGN-TV and CFA announced that the station would broadcast the McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade live and in high definition. Superstation WGN (now WGN America) also showed the parade live across the nation. This made it one of only three parades in the country to be shown live, all the way through, on national television.

In 2008, the parade celebrated its 75th year with a three-hour live broadcast. The first hour showed local theater and culture, while the rest of the parade featured the traditional moving parade.

In 2010, the parade announced local actress Jennifer Beals as its Grand Marshal. The parade reached a record high of 3.75 million viewers across the country. Over 350,000 people bravely attended the parade in person on State Street despite the weather.

In 2011, the crowds enjoyed clear weather and a parade lineup that included Grand Marshal Holland Taylor, the Harlem Globetrotters, the Chicago cast of Million Dollar Quartet, the Eriam Sisters, and Celeste Kellogg.

In 2018, Chicago-area outdoor store Uncle Dan's became the main sponsor.

In 2020, there was no parade because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The parade organizers said the city of Chicago told them not to hold the parade or any other "special events." This was the first time the parade was canceled in its history. The 87th parade was postponed until 2021.

Different Names of "Chicago's Grand Holiday Tradition"

  • 1934: Christmas Caravan (on State Street)
  • 1935–1983: State Street Christmas Parade
  • 1984–1989: McDonald's Children's Charity Parade (route changed to Michigan Avenue)
  • 1990: The Brach's Kids Holiday Parade (sponsored by Brach's Confections)
  • 1998: The Field's Jingle Elf Parade (sponsored by Marshall Field's)
  • 1999: The Field's Jingle Elf Parade Presented by Target & Marshall Field's (route and date changed back to State Street on Thanksgiving Day)
  • 2002: Target Thanksgiving Parade (Target Corporation)
  • 2003-2005: State Street Thanksgiving Parade
  • 2006-2017: McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade
  • 2018: Uncle Dan's Thanksgiving Day Parade
  • 2019, 2022–Present: Chicago Thanksgiving Parade

Parade Groups

Every year, more than 100 different groups, called "units," walk down the parade route. These units include Giant Inflatables, Specialty Units, Equestrian Units, Marching Bands, and Floats.

Teddy Turkey

Teddy Turkey is the friendly mascot of the Uncle Dan's Thanksgiving Parade. Teddy also appears around the city, helping to spread holiday cheer all year long. You can find Teddy on Facebook and Twitter.

Balloons

The Uncle Dan's Thanksgiving Parade mostly uses helium balloons, which float high in the air. Recently, there has been a shortage of helium, causing some parades to use fewer helium balloons or none at all. However, the Chicago parade still uses mostly helium balloons, with only one or two cold air balloons each year. Chicago's Thanksgiving Parade is the only event in the city that features inflatable balloons every year.

Parade School

Each year, the parade organizers hold a special training school. This helps volunteers get ready for the parade. For many years, the Chicago Festival Association worked with the Museum of Science & Industry in Chicago to host this event. The most important part of the school is for the "balloon handlers." These are the volunteers who help keep the giant inflatable balloons balanced as they move along the parade route. All volunteers get a special sneak peek of the parade. In 2010, the parade school included performances from Miss Illinois and the 501st Midwest Garrison. Honorary Grand Marshal Ronald McDonald also gave an encouraging speech.

Balloon Inflation

The balloons for the parade start being filled with air or helium before sunrise. This happens south of where the parade begins. It takes many people to fill each giant balloon.

Featured Balloons

Specialty Units

Specialty units is a broad term for groups that have special skills or performances in the parade. This includes international dance groups and sports teams. If a group fits better into another category, like having horses, they won't be called a "specialty unit."

Many viewers look forward to seeing specialty units because they are unique and exciting. Because of this, the search for new specialty units goes on all year. Unlike most other parades, the Chicago parade organizers look for new acts in many ways. Representatives from the Chicago Festival Association travel around the country regularly to find and invite new performers.

Featured Specialty Units

Equestrian Units

Equestrian Units are groups that include horses in their performance. This is a special part of parades, and the Chicago Festival Association pays close attention to finding new Equestrian Units every year. In 2007, the organizers added three new Equestrian Units. These included the "Children's Fantasy Theatre Orchard," "Illinois Junior Miss Emily Boker," and "Southern Ohio Ladies Aside." Since the Chicago Festival Association started producing the parade, they have worked hard to bring in Equestrian Units from popular theater shows in Chicago. For example, in 2007, the Goodman Theatre returned with the horses and actors from their famous production, A Christmas Carol.

Featured Equestrian Units

Marching Bands

Marching Bands come to the Thanksgiving Parade from all over the country every year. They are mainly chosen by Worldstrides Heritage Performance Programs. About twenty-four of the nation's best high school marching bands appear in the parade each year. This includes the 150-member Bartlett High School Marching Band, which first appeared in 2004. In total, about 3000 high school band members play in the parade.

Featured Marching Bands

  • 2022: Cedarville HS Marching Band, Lumen Christi Marching Band, Northwestern University Wildcat Marching Band, Indiana University Marching Hundred, McLean High School Band, Pride of Dayton Marching Band

Floats

Bortz Candytrain
"The Candy Train" presented by Bortz Entertainment Group

Floats are decorated platforms. They are either built on a vehicle or pulled behind one. These creative displays give groups and organizations a special way to show themselves to the parade viewers. In the 2007 Thanksgiving Parade, nineteen organizations and groups created floats for the audience.

Featured Floats

The Parade Today

In 2000, the Chicago Festival Association was given the right to produce the Field's Jingle Elf Parade by the City of Chicago. Before that, the Chicago Christmas Parade Association had produced the parade for several years.

In 1999, the Chicago Christmas Parade Association's last year, a big change happened: the parade route moved back to State Street. The parade had previously been on Michigan Avenue.

Many people were proud that the parade returned to State Street. However, some people were unhappy. The parade on Michigan Avenue had helped the city's economy by bringing many holiday shoppers to the famous stores there. The Greater State Street Council had made it clear that no State Street businesses would be open on Thanksgiving Day. The Chicago Festival Association explained that while the parade was first created to help the economy, it now mainly exists as a community celebration. As the parade grew, Chicago's economy continued to benefit. So, the complaints about its location change eventually stopped.

Since then, the organization has made many more important changes, and today the parade gets much more attention. In 2002, the Chicago Festival Association changed the parade from a Christmas or general holiday parade to the Thanksgiving parade it is today. In just a few years, the number of people watching on the streets increased by hundreds of thousands. The parade is also shown live nationwide. This is considered very fast growth, as the parade was only available in a few cities just two years before.

From 2006 to 2017, McDonald's partnered with the Chicago Festival Association as the parade's main sponsor. McDonald's has often said how excited they are to sponsor such a fast-growing and well-loved event.

In 2007, the Chicago Festival Association invited the pop rock group Plain White T's to perform in the parade. In the years before, the band had become very popular, and their song "Hey There Delilah" was number one on the Billboard chart for two weeks. Even though the weather was unusually cold, the Plain White T's agreed to perform for free. This was likely because of the parade's quickly growing TV ratings and its first national broadcast.

In 2008, the parade celebrated its 75th year. That year's parade was broadcast for three hours, from 8 am to 11 am CST on WGN-TV9 and WGN-DT9.1 in Chicago, and WGN America nationwide. This makes the Chicago Thanksgiving Parade one of only two parades (the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade being the other) to be shown completely to a national audience. In 2008, the parade also featured Grand Marshal Jennie Finch, WWE wrestler (and Chicago native) CM Punk, and the Harlem Globetrotters.

In 2010, Grand Marshal Jennifer Beals, Honorary Grand Marshal Ronald McDonald, and Santa Claus were part of a three-hour entertainment show. The parade featured top marching bands from across the country, including Marist High School, Proviso East High School, and Houston County High School. The parade also saw the first appearance of several giant balloons, including Yogi Bear, Fred Flintstone, and Scooby-Doo.

In 2011, Grand Marshal Holland Taylor, Chicago's Black Ensemble Theater, the EriAm Sisters, and Celeste Kellogg were featured in the parade. The parade ended with its first closing performance, a tribute to Ferris Bueller. In this ending, Santa Claus and WGN's Ana Belaval led the crowd in dancing to "Twist and Shout."

Television Coverage

In 2007, the Chicago Festival Association signed a contract with Chicago's WGN-TV. Even though the parade was in its 74th year, it was the first time it was shown live nationwide. With the WGN-TV partnership, the 2007 McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade could be seen in about 72 million homes across the United States through WGN's superstation broadcast, Superstation WGN (now called WGN America). WGN shows the parade along with its yearly special, Bozo, Gar and Ray: WGN TV Classics.

In 2008, WGN and WGN America showed the parade for three hours. This was a first for Chicago's Thanksgiving Parade. Starting with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, the first hour featured some of the area's best theater and cultural performance groups. The next two hours showed the parade, including the official McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade marching band from Proviso East High School.

The team of Paul Konrad and Robin Baumgarten hosted the parade from 2007 to 2013. Ana Beleval was the on-street reporter from 2010 to 2013.

Mark Suppelsa and Micah Materre hosted the 2014 parade with on-street reporter Amy Rutledge.

WGN-TV stopped most of its connections with WGN America at the end of 2014. WGN America also removed all Chicago-related shows from its schedule. The McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade (which stayed on WGN America's schedule) was the only show that was still on both stations. WGN America quietly stopped showing the parade before 2019, though WGN still showed it locally and online that year.

In 2021, the parade ended its partnership with WGN. It announced that year's parade would be shown on VPOD TV. This is an independent small network shown across northern Illinois on the digital subchannels of WAOE, WCHU-LD, and W27EB-D (all virtual channel 59). Since VPOD TV is not available on cable or satellite, the event is also shown online. An audio broadcast is also available on WCKG.

Movie Coverage

In the movie The Weather Man, Nicolas Cage plays David Spritz, a Chicago weather man who feels like he is losing confidence in his life. He is also bothered by how little respect he gets from Chicago residents. However, by the end of the movie, Spritz (Cage) finally gains new confidence and stability. The peak of this positive change is when he is shown on top of a float in the State Street Thanksgiving Parade, waving at all the excited people. This scene symbolizes his confidence and success. By being on this float, Spritz is shown as a respected public figure.

To create this scene, Paramount Pictures was allowed by the Chicago Festival Association to film the float as it went down State Street in the 2004 parade. Using visual effects, Nicolas Cage was then digitally added to the picture.

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Chicago Thanksgiving Parade Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.