The nation’s longest-running Thanksgiving Day parade returned to the center city of Philadelphia for its 106th year on Thursday.
Known as the 6abc Dunkin’ Thanksgiving Day Parade for 10-plus years, the local ABC television station said that the event featured 14 massive helium balloons, more than 1,000 singers and dancers, and over 30 musical performances.
Following a 30-minute pre-show, the three-hour procession delighted tens of thousands of spectators and marked the official start of the holiday season with Santa Claus’s arrival.
For many attendees, the parade itself is a cherished family ritual.
Emily Fleming, a nurse in Philadelphia, told The Epoch Times she enjoys the community aspect of the parade….