Philadelphia kicks off holiday season with 105th 6abc Dunkin' Thanksgiving Day Parade
PHILADELPHIA -- The oldest Thanksgiving Day parade in the nation kicked off the holiday season as it marched through Center City and up the Ben Franklin Parkway to the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Thursday.
There is no better way to start the holiday season than with the parade that started them all - The 6abc Dunkin' Thanksgiving Day Parade!
So many people start their Thanksgiving holidays at the parade every year- and this year was no exception.
Watch the 105th 6abc Dunkin' Thanksgiving Day Parade
"There are so many fans who come out and line the Parkway because they've done it all their lives," said John Morris, 6abc's Vice President of Programming who also serves as the parade's executive producer.
The 6abc Dunkin Thanksgiving Day Parade is a cherished tradition that was back for the 105th time, with bands, balloons, dancers and floats, with spectators cheering along the route.
"I've been coming since I was two, and I've been bringing her since she was months old," Lisa Provost, of Abington.
"It started with getting the kids out of the house so I can cook, and it never ended," added Amy Provost, of Abington.
There were more than a dozen balloons with 19,000 cubic feet of helium to blow them up, and almost 20 floats and 3,000 performers, including famous faces from the stage and screens of New York and Hollywood.
From Tweety Bird to the Pilgrim Turkey, the parade and the people brightened up the Ben Franklin Parkway on Thursday.
"Oh, it's beautiful. I mean, even though the weather's raining, everybody is still smiling and happy. It's a beautiful day," said Rashad Hobson, of West Philadelphia.
"It's been a tradition, every year we try to get a turkey hat," said the Napoleon sisters from Fishtown. "We finally got it this year."
This parade is also a tradition for the Whalen Family. Year after year, they set up along the parade route. They even have a photo album marking the decades.
"It all started with my dad and three uncles and all of our cousins and their kids," said Julie Whalen Norton. "It's just about family, about all being here together."
Nearby, the Stephens family also set up their tent, complete with a breakfast spread, which this year was turned over to the next generation.
Celebrities, like Sister Sledge, waved from the floats. Mickey, Minnie, and the gang, as well as Abbot Elementary's Lisa Ann Walter, were all here to celebrate. Philadelphia native Becky Boyd Hodges also never misses the holiday event!
"I flew up like I do every year for Thanksgiving to spend it with my son. My granddaughter is in the parade," Boyd Hodges said. "It makes me want to cry. I brought him when he was little. I brought his brother and I used to come when it was on Market Street and we watched Santa go up into Gimbels."
We saw other familiar faces, like singer CeCe Peniston, The Sugarhill Gang, Mrs. Claus and many more.
