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How much does the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade actually cost?

Posted at 6:36 PM, Nov 16, 2016
and last updated 2016-11-16 20:05:20-05

NEW YORK – The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has been enjoyed by millions for 89 years, marking this one as the 90th!

The large-scale production takes more than just what you see on TV to make it a success.

Millions of people work on the event and millions of dollars are spent.

So just how much goes into the parade?

Ebates put together some numbers on the parade and they might surprise you.

Ebates says the total costs for the event are $10.4-12.3 million!

Where does that money get used? Ebates also created a breakdown of where it goes.

  • $5,100,000 minimum helium cost (each balloon also requires 50-90 volunteer handlers)
  • $190,000 sponsoring companies pay for new balloons ($90,000 amount charged for repeat balloons)
  • $30,000-$100,000 cost for float construction
  • $2 million used for costumes (Santa and Mrs. Claus have custom made costumes)

These are just some of the estimations. Ebates made a graphic with much more information.