While not the oldest Thanksgiving parade in the US, since its inception in 1924, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has become by far the most famous, attracting an audience of more than 3 million to the streets of New York every year. Now a mainstay of the event, the giant, helium-filled balloons featuring cartoon characters and figures from pop-culture made their debut in 1927, when they were famously released during the event’s grand finale only to swiftly deflate atop the crowds below. Glinn’s images of the 1992 parade prove that the annual spectacle is just as impressive when viewed from the surrounding balconies as it is for those on the ground.
Burt Glinn became an associate member of Magnum in 1951, along with Eve Arnold and Dennis Stock, before becoming a full member in 1954. He served as Magnum’s president twice.