As the excitement of the holiday season captures us all, the greater Philadelphia region is filled with anticipation of the 6abc Dunkin’ Thanksgiving Day Parade. The parade kicks off on Thanksgiving Day at 8:30 a.m., with a 30-minute pre-show and three hours for the parade and performances.
The mile-and-a-half parade route steps off from the intersection of 20th Street and JFK Boulevard, turns left onto 16th Street, and then left onto Ben Franklin Parkway.
A tradition of Philadelphia for more than a century, the 105th iteration of the parade will feature performances by Darlene Love, The Funky Bunch, Mateo Bocelli, The Village People, Tito Puente Jr., Omar Jose Cardona, and the Sharpe Family Singers.
There will also be local talents such as the Philly POPS; Philadelphia Eagles’ cheerleaders, drumline, and mascot, Swoop; Felicia Punzo; DaVonda Simmons; Lady Alma; Raquel Britton; and Julian King. Traveling companies of “MJ the Musical” and “& Juliet,” as well as the casts of “Frozen,” “Company,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and “Mrs. Doubtfire” be on hand to perform.
As always, the entire parade route is free and open to the public and commences the official start of holiday season.
With over 100 years of rich Philadelphia history, the parade has endured many changes in its existence. Here’s a quiz to see how well you know the 6abc Dunkin’ Thanksgiving Day Parade.
1. Is Philadelphia’s the oldest Thanksgiving Day parade in the United States?
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Yes. First held in 1920, the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade was the first in the U.S. When the was first inaugurated, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway had just been completed and construction on the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where the parade ends today, had just begun. The entire project would not be finished in 1929.
2. Who was the parade’s founder?
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The idea of the parade was conceived by Ellis Gimbel, founder of the Gimbels department store. Gimbel is notable for having influenced the day we celebrate Thanksgiving. The holiday was celebrated on the last Thursday of November, but in 1939 he pushed to move it up a week to extend the holiday shopping season. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, presiding over a country still recovering from the Great Depression, agreed and moved Thanksgiving Day up one week. The move was controversial, and for two years, two separate Thanksgivings were celebrated. If 1941, Congress settled the matter, voting to move the federal holiday to the fourth Thursday of November.
3. When did the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in New York begin?
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The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade began four years after Gimbel’s, on Nov. 27, 1924. Organized by Macy’s employees, many of whom were first-generation immigrants, the parade was inspired by similar European celebrations. The inaugural parade featured floats, professional bands, live animals borrowed from the Central Park Zoo, and hundreds of Macy’s employees dressed in vibrant costumes.
The first parade concluded with Santa Claus arriving at Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square, marking the official start of the Christmas shopping season—a tradition that continues today. While it initially drew large crowds, the parade was so successful that Macy’s decided to make it an annual event. By 1927, the live animals were replaced with the now-iconic giant helium balloons, cementing the parade’s unique identity.
4. What did Gimbels’ “prayer team” pray for?
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To ensure the weather was conducive for the parade, Ellis Gimbels enlisted a “prayer committee” to implore God for good weather. The prayers appear to have worked because the parade has been postponed very few times in its existence. The very few times the parade was postponed, it was held the next day.
5. Has the parade ever been in danger of not happening?
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Yes. It’s hard to think of the Thanksgiving parade being defunct, but it survived a close call in 1985, when Allied Stores Corporation purchased Gimbels. The new owner did not see the value in the parade and weighed bringing it to an end.
6. Who stepped in to save the parade when Gimbels shut down?
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WPVI-TV/6abc stepped up and produced the parade in 1986. It made some changes, most notably reversing the parade route so that it ended at the Philadelphia Metropolitan Museum of Art instead of Gimbels. NBA Hall of Famer and 76ers basketball icon Julius “Dr. J.” Erving was appointed Grand Marshal. Appearances were made by the Flintstones, Care Bears, and Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
7. What department/retail stores jumped in as sponsors between 1986 and 2010?
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Boscov’s and IKEA both played important roles as official sponsors after Gimbels faded away. Boscov’s, a department store chain based in Reading, became the co-sponsor of the Thanksgiving Day Parade from 1986 to 2007. Following Boscov’s, IKEA sponsored the 6abc Thanksgiving Day Parade from 2008 to 2010.
8. Who is the current official co-sponsor today?
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Since 2011, Dunkin’ (Formerly Dunkin’ Donuts) has been the official sponsor of the parade. In a statement, Jacqueline Keown, Manager of Field Marketing, Mid-Atlantic Region, expressed the company’s excitement about sponsoring the parade.
“Dunkin’ Donuts has a strong commitment to the Greater Philadelphia Region and to the communities we are proud to keep running every day,” Keown said at the time. “Thanksgiving is a time for family and traditions and Dunkin’ Donuts is honored to partner with 6abc this year to present the 6abc Thanksgiving Day Parade — one of the oldest and most treasured family traditions in Philadelphia.”
Along with the parade, 6abc’s Holiday Food Drive was launched with Dunkin’ Donuts as the title sponsor to serve individuals in need throughout the Philadelphia region.
