The first Thanksgiving Day Parade ever held in the United States of America was in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 25, 1920. Gimbel Brother Department Store President, Ellis Gimbel created the parade for the children residents of Philadelphia, PA. The parade was known as the Gimbel's Thanksgiving Day Parade from 1920 - 1985. Since that glorious day in 1920, the parade has also signified the official arrival of Santa Clause in the city of Brotherly Love.

Over the course of the last eighty-four years, hundreds of thousands of marchers from around the globe have participated in the annual procession. Much to the surprise of Mr. Gimbel, his concept of a Thanksgiving Day Parade has been duplicated around the country and Canada.

In 1986, Gimbels Department Store went out of business, placing the future of traditional parades in jeopardy, That is when WPVI-TV stepped in to continue the holiday tradition. With the support of corporate sponsors, WPVI has been producing the parade since 1986. Each year the parade becomes more spectacular as new majestic floats, new marching bands, new balloons, new and exciting performances, "stars" are added to the parade.

Now, 1996 was certainly a monumental year for the parade when Walt Disney World Productions became actively involved in the parade. What was once a single presentation of a first rate performance to our parade, has now blossomed into significant contributions from all aspects of the Disney Corporation. Last year alone featured Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and the entire gang of characters...characters from "Monsters Inc."... one snow globe float from the new parade in Florida, and much more. In addition, part of our three-hour telecast of our parade, actually comes to us "Live" from Orlando, Florida on Thanksgiving morning.

To register for the The 6 ABC/Boscov's Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade please call 1.800.443.2120