Historic Detroit Thanksgiving Day Parades

Since 1924, Thanksgiving Day parades have been a beloved annual tradition in Detroit. Here we share substantial clips from three films covering three very different eras, as well as a couple photos and other surprises in between. The first film comes one of the first, if not the first parade, when the bulk of the route ran along Vernor Highway from Second Avenue to Woodward Avenue. The second main clip comes from the late 1940s, and was shot near the start of the route on Second--keep an eye out for the Bronx Bar in the background. By 1988, the time of the last clip, the parade had moved to its Woodward route. Shot near Woodward and Jefferson, this tape features balloon handlers navigating Clownie beneath the People Mover tracks. Explore more of our Thanksgiving parade-related items through our online collection: detroithistori...