WPXI Holiday Parade Presented by Pittsburgh Public Schools history

The WPXI Holiday Parade Presented by Pittsburgh Public Schools (formerly called the Celebrate the Season Parade) has been marching down 5th Avenue for nearly 3 ½ decades!  2015 marks the 35^th anniversary of this beloved holiday tradition and the theme this year is Pittsburgh Proud as we celebrate all the iconic people, places and things that make Pittsburgh so special!  This is the second year Pittsburgh Public Schools has been the Presenting Sponsor of the Parade.

The first parade was held in 1980 and was sponsored by local department store chain Kaufmann's. Macy's took over the title sponsorship in 2006, making the parade a "little sister" of sorts to the world-famous Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.

WPXI began its association with the Celebrate the Season Parade in 1985, when Mike Hambrick and Edye Tarbox hosted a live telecast of the event. Over the years, we've been proud to bring the likes of pop superstar Christina Aguilera, R&B star Usher, music legend Chubby Checker, "America's Got Talent" star Jackie Evancho, TV star Joe Manganiello from HBO's "True Blood," soap opera star Joe Mascolo from "Days of Our Lives," Alex Trebek of "Jeopardy!," Jerome "The Bus" Bettis from the Pittsburgh Steelers and countless other luminaries to our live and viewing audiences.

An exciting and heartwarming staple of the holiday season, the parade has become a must-see event for thousands of western Pennsylvanians, many of whom begin lining the streets of downtown Pittsburgh as early as 5 a.m. on parade day to get the best view of the festivities.

Larger-than-life balloons, colorful floats, cute costumed characters and the area's best high school marching bands join world-class entertainers to thrill the crowds in the stands and at home year after year!

WPXI