Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of year – people get together with old friends and family to enjoy each other’s company as well as a delicious meal. For those familiar with the City of Brotherly Love, you know Thanksgiving also means getting up early to watch or head down to the annual Thanksgiving Day Parade on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. People from all over visit Philadelphia to be a part of one of the best Thanksgiving parades in the country!
Sponsored by 6abc and Dunkin Donuts, the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade is celebrating its 97th year, making it the oldest Thanksgiving parade in the country. Starting at 8:30 a.m., the parade route begins at 20th and JFK Boulevard and travels 14 miles down the heart of Philadelphia before ending just past the front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Each year, there are spectacular floats, giant balloons, and
tons of special guests and great performers. Some of last year’s highlights include:
- Rob Marciano, Good Morning America
- Carli Lloyd, Olympics Gold Medalist for U.S. women’s soccer
- Casts from A Christmas Story, Pippin and The Sounds of Music
- Lauren Hart, Philadelphia Flyers anthem singer
- The Eagles Cheerleaders
- Local contestants from Miss America
- Disney princesses, including Anna and Elsa from Frozen
- Marching bands, choirs, and dancers from across the country
- Much more
And of course, it wouldn’t be the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade without Santa and Mrs. Claus wrapping up the parade by welcoming the start of the Christmas season. This Philadelphia tradition is a wonderful way to give visiting friends and family an idea of what Thanksgiving is like in the wonderful City of Brotherly Love.
The day after Thanksgiving, skip the Black Monday madness and continue your tour of long-standing Philly traditions by cruising down to Geno’s Steaks for one of our world-famous cheesesteaks!