FIRST PERSON
Inside the Parade
Patricia Levinson , lead coordinator for float escort costumes , Macy ’ s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Patricia Levinson predicts a “ flawless ” stream ofcostumed characters to delight uswhen the 90th Anniversary Macy ’ s Thanksgiving Day Parade airs nationwide from the streets of New York City onNovember 24 . She should know . It ’ sher job to help get 4,500 people dressed aspirates , Rat Kings , pieces ofcake , pineapples , Statues of Liberty and the like , and she has already done it flawlessly for the past five years . AsCoordinator , Float Escorts & Special Characters for Macy ’ sParade Studio , Levinson spends the big day inside agiant hall at The New Yorker Hotel , and never gets tosee the parade live .
DRESSING THE ESCORTS
I have a background as a costumer and seamstress , including work at the Paper Mill Playhouse . At the parade studio , I am lead coordinatorfor floatescortcostumes , including banner carriers , stilt walkers and trykaloons , whichare cartoon-likecharacters riding big tricycles with matching inflatedmini-balloons . For example , a person dressed as a Rat King rides alongside the Nutcracker float witha Rat King helium balloon attached . Other studio peopleare leads forclown costuming , foam costumes – the 3-D pieces that people wear to dress asapiece of birthday cakeora Christmas tree – and so on .
WHATCOULD GO WRONG ?
We have to size the costumes we design sight unseen . Weget the names of the parade participants , who are Macy ’ s employees or friends and families , and theyfill out aform with the basics of their body types . Thenwe assign and number the pieces of each costume . Let ’ ssay youare a pirate : Youhave your shirt , pants , eye-patch , boot covers and sword , each one different from the others and assigned to you . Ninety-eight percent of the time , we are quite accurate on parade day .
PARADE MARCH !
We fill 14 moving trucks with costumes on rolling racks . The eight of us in the studio pack every single item on the Tuesday before the parade . Wednesday morning , we unload at the hotel , wherewestayovernight . Pre-parade meeting : 3a . m . At 4a . m ., we areatour racks , and the extradressers who work for the daystart arriving . It looks likechaos , but it ’ s completely choreographed . Really , nothing ever goes wrong – and by noon , we simply shift into reverse .
— AS TOLD TO ANTOINETTE MARTIN
COURTESYOFMACY ’ S
20 MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE HOLIDAY 2016