A parade is defined as an organized procession down a street accompanied by organizations, bands, and floats. Parades are held for a variety of reasons, but they are all considered celebrations. Parades are held for victories, to honor individuals, as part of a community event, and to celebrate holidays. The parade of lights is a parade held at night, generally soon after Thanksgiving. It is to celebrate Christmas and the holiday season. People can be seen lining the streets as the sun goes down, dressed warmly with hot drinks in hand.

Floats are a staple of American parades. The name stems from the first floats being decorated barges. Today they generally consist of a trailer pulled by another vehicle. Parades often hold competitions for the best floats. Some of them are very original and take a lot of work to complete.

Parades are fun filled events, lasting from a few minutes to several hours depending on the area and the type of event being celebrated. People of all ages come to parades to watch the entries, enjoy the light hearted atmosphere, and visit with others. Often parades are followed by other events including bazaars, craft shows, ball games, and car races.

The parade takes place each year on January 1st down a stretch of road eight miles long. This tradition began in 1890. If the 1st falls on a Sunday, then the parade takes place on the Monday after. This rule was established to respect the day of worship. The parade commission did not feel right expecting people to choose between attending their services or the parade.

The Rose Bowl College Football game generally follows the televised parade. This has been the tradition since 1923. Scheduling has resulted in this not always happening. It is being debated if the parade date should be adjusted yearly to fit the football schedule or if it should stick to the January 1st date as it always has.

The Rose parade has been very lucky with fighting the elements. There have been several close calls with predicted storms, but the parade went on as scheduled. 2006 was not to be so lucky. Winds up to 45 miles per hour and 5 inches of rain fell during the parade. Attendance at the parade was disappointing low due to the storm. TV ratings also fell as a result of the rain. Poor visibility and the distracting background noise caused many viewers to lose interest early on.

The parade started with immigrants who worked for Macy’s in the 1920’s wanting a way to celebrate their new life in America. They wanted to accept traditional Thanksgiving rituals like other Americans. During Thanksgiving of 1924, they paraded down 34th street with a band and floats, and live animals. The parade has continued every since. By 1933 the people lined up to watch the parade reached 1 million. In 1927, the live animals were replaced with very large balloons.

The first balloon in the 1927 Macy’s Day Parade was Felix the cat. He was filled with air. By the 1928 parade, helium replaced air in the balloons. The Mickey Mouse balloon became part of the parade in 1934. The parade did not take place from 1942 to 1944 due to World War II. Rubber and helium were desperately needed for the war, and the city of New York wanted to support the war efforts. The parade resumed in 1945. It became very well known in the movie ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ which debuted in 1947.

Today, more than 44 million people tune in to watch the Macy’s Parade. The parade has broadcast live on NBC since 1952. The parade continues down the same route since 1945. It begins at the intersection of 77th Street and Central Park West. The route turns onto Broadway continuing to Times Square, ending at Macy’s on 34th Street. The parade has had a few people seriously injured during the parades due to balloons getting tangled in street lamps and other obstacles. As a result, strict size regulations have been enforced since 1997, dampening the creative development of many new balloons.

You will need to start with the foundation for your float. Often, this is some type of flat bed trailer. The size and shape can vary, but you need to decide what you will be working with, and then fit your design around the foundation layout. Let your organization know you will be working on a float, and ask for anyone interested to sign up or come to a meeting, specifying the time and location. It is important that those who will be working on the float have a say in the design. It is a great motivator to get them to work on it! Let everyone think about it for a while, and then start writing down ideas. After all the ideas have been taken, discuss them. Then vote on what the majority wants to build. It may even be a combination of one or more ideas that were presented. If you have enough people, you can divide into smaller groups, each focusing on a particular piece of the overall project.

The materials needed for a parade float vary depending on the design you are going to build. Most are made of cardboard, paint, various props, lights, music, and a variety of other items. If you are on a limited budget, consider having people donate items. Many businesses will assist with the donation of some paint or similar product. You can also use rummage items that aren’t being used for any other purpose.

Building a parade float can be hard work, and challenging at times. It can also be a lot of fun building and designing it, as well as working with other people. It will be well worth it when you see the smiles on the faces of those watching as your float drifts down the parade path.

Parade of homes is an annual event held in locations throughout the United States. The all are similar, with the exception of the houses being looked at and the cost of homes. They are often well publicized and well attended events. They take place at different times throughout they year depending on the region they are held in. Typically in the spring when the weather is warm.

The internet offers a parade of homes, virtual 360, tours online. This is a great way to get to view homes that aren’t in your area for fun or if you are thinking of relocating. It can also be a great way to find unique decorating ideas.

If you have never attended a parade of homes, it is well worth the time to find out when one will be held in your area. They are very inexpensive to attend, and very fun. If the proceeds are going to a non-profit organization, then you have helped them as well while enjoying a relaxing afternoon.