Thanksgiving Parade Balloon Coloring Page with PDF

Thanksgiving Parade Balloon: History & Fun Facts

The First Giant Balloon Parades

Giant character balloons became a Thanksgiving tradition starting in 1927, when a major New York department store replaced its live zoo animal parade floats with helium-filled balloons designed by a puppeteer. The switch let designers build much taller, more dramatic figures than any float on wheels could manage, and the balloons quickly became the most photographed part of the event.

The earliest giant balloons stood several stories tall even in their first appearance, which meant designers had to solve entirely new engineering problems, like how to keep a fabric figure that size rigid and upright while still light enough to float.

How Parade Balloons Stay in the Air

Modern parade balloons are filled with helium, a lightweight gas that makes them float, and are held down by dozens of handlers gripping long ropes at ground level so wind does not carry the balloon into buildings or power lines. Early balloons were sometimes released into the sky at the end of the parade route, though that practice was dropped after a few crashes into rooftops and trees.

A single large parade balloon can require dozens of trained handlers working in coordinated formation, since a strong gust of wind pushing against thousands of square feet of fabric can create enough force to be genuinely difficult to control by hand.

Turkeys as a Parade Character Choice

A turkey-shaped balloon connects directly to the holiday itself, joining a long list of parade balloon characters that includes cartoon figures, animals, and seasonal symbols. Because Thanksgiving happens in late November, turkey balloons appear specifically for that one parade weekend rather than year-round, unlike some cartoon character balloons that return across multiple holidays.

Designing a recognizable turkey balloon means exaggerating a few key features, the fanned tail and wattled head especially, since a balloon's rounded fabric shape can't capture fine feather detail the way an illustration or photograph can.

City Streets as a Parade Route

Thanksgiving parades typically travel down major city avenues lined with tall buildings, giving spectators a dramatic view of balloons rising above the rooftops. Streets are closed to traffic for the morning, and marching bands, floats, and balloons move together along a fixed route that ends at a stage for a final performance.

Choosing a route lined with tall buildings is intentional. It creates a kind of narrow visual corridor where a balloon towering above the street reads as far larger than it would in an open field, magnifying the spectacle for the crowd below.

Watching the Parade as a Family Tradition

For many American families, watching a Thanksgiving parade on television or in person before the midday meal has become as much a tradition as the food itself. The parade marks the unofficial start of the holiday morning, giving kids something to watch while the kitchen fills with the smell of the meal being prepared.

Television broadcasts of the parade have run for decades, turning what began as a local street event into a shared national viewing habit that many families watch together before sitting down for the holiday meal.