11/09/2026
🦃 MONDAY LOCAL HISTORY: PHILADELPHIA DID IT BEFORE MACY’S! 🎈
When most people think about Thanksgiving parades, they immediately think of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.
But here’s something I bet a lot of people don’t know…
PHILADELPHIA DID IT FIRST! 😂
📜 LET’S GO BACK TO 1920.
A Philadelphia department store called Gimbels decided to celebrate Thanksgiving with a parade through the city.
The idea was to bring people together, celebrate the holiday, and kick off the Christmas shopping season.
The parade made its way through Philadelphia toward the Gimbels store at Ninth and Market Streets.
And the grand finale?
Santa Claus himself climbed a ladder into the department store to greet children and collect their Christmas wishes! 🎅
Now here’s where it gets interesting.
Macy’s didn’t launch its famous Thanksgiving parade until 1924.
That’s FOUR YEARS after Philadelphia’s parade began!
Over time, Philadelphia’s parade grew into one of the city’s best-known holiday traditions.
And even though the sponsors and parade routes have changed over the years, the tradition has continued for generations.
It’s another one of those reminders that our area has played a much bigger role in American history than most people realize.
So here’s my question…
🦃 Does your family watch the Thanksgiving parade every year, or are you already in the kitchen getting dinner started? 😂