Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: Pandemic-Style

Partitions block the view of pre-taping for the parade | Photo courtesy of USA Today

The 94th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was scaled back this year as New York City’s COVID-19 cases continue to rise. The event was broadcasted from the iconic Macy’s Herald Square store and televised for 50 million viewers at home.

Preparations for this year’s parade began in May of 2019, long before a global pandemic was ever a thought. In March of this year, producers quickly realized that the lineup would have to be adjusted. Plans were finalized in the fall to continue the parade but without crowds and with significantly fewer participants. Producers moved to run the parade with 12 percent of the participants it would normally have and certain segments were pre-recorded to cut down on crowds.

The parade only ran the length of 34th Street—a major change to the typical 2.5-mile route that starts at the south end of Central Park and travels down to Midtown. Balloon handlers were substituted with specialized trucks to increase social distancing.

A truck prepares to pull a safari-themed float down 34th Street | Photo courtesy of Car and Driver

“We have done many, many iterations of this and training to try and make sure that this is the right way to go,” executive producer Susan Tercero told Variety magazine before the parade. “I think it’s going to still get the same essence and the balloons flying high amongst the buildings that we’re used to seeing.”

While some performances were taped in the days beforehand, a majority of the event was live with some of the talent performing from their hometowns to limit the amount of travel into New York. Background dancers and characters wore masks in accordance with the recommendations of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

With most of New York City’s schools closing down, students younger than 18 were prohibited to march in the parade. As a result, marching bands were cut from the lineup and replaced with bands that were unable to perform in previously canceled events like St. Patrick’s Day and Puerto Rican parades.

“We invited them to come and be a nice representation really of what New York is and what we all know New York to be,” Tercero said.

It was important to Tercero and New York City that the parade continue, Coronavirus or not. They spent most of this year finding alternative ways to keep with the annual tradition while seamlessly following the limitations constituted by the CDC. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade is a holiday staple for many families and a cancelation would have made it only the fourth time in 94 years.

One element that was not scrapped from this year’s parade was Santa Claus. Santa closed out the festivities, ushering in the holiday season and spreading cheer, albeit through television screens. Although the normal celebrations were poised differently than years before, the 2020 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade managed to curtail a pandemic and continue a cherished American tradition.