Chicago Thanksgiving Parade

• Chicago weather can be extremely cold by Thanksgiving, so make sure to dress for the weather! Think lots of layers with comfortable boots or tennis shoes and a warm jacket.

• Invite your neighbors over early on Thanksgiving morning to do a breakfast potluck before the parade. Assign each neighbor a particular breakfast dish so there's something for everyone.You can also pack a large cooler with breakfast food and bring it to the parade with you. Once you've staked out good spots, pass out the delicious breakfast for everyone to enjoy!

• The parade kicks off at 8:30 am and lasts for about two and a half hours. However, if you get there much later than 6:30 am you'll have a hard time finding a good place to stand!

1934:

Ironically, this Thanksgiving Day Parade started as a Christmas Caravan! Chicago's State Street Council was looking for a way to boost the city's morale during the Great Depression, and proposed a Christmas Parade.

1935 - 1983: Up until 1983, the parade remained an annual Christmas tradition on State Street in Chicago.

1984:

This year the parade was sponsored by McDonald's and was known as the Children's Charity Parade. The route also changed from State Street to Michigan Avenue, generating a burst of Christmas shopping down Michigan Avenue.

2002:

2002 was a big year of change for the Parade! The location of the parade was changed back to State Street, and the date was changed to Thanksgiving Day.

2006:

McDonald's sponsored the Thanksgiving Parade again, and from this year on the parade was known as the McDonald's Thanksgiving Day Parade.