BOWLING A BIG HIT AT 92ND ANNUAL MACY’S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE

For the first time ever, the sport of bowling took part in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade® as inflated pins, a ball and bowling shoes made their way down the streets of New York City in front millions of fans in person and an estimated television audience of more than 50 million. The Go Bowling presentation was the most detailed display of “balloonicles” in the 92-year history of the parade as nine total elements were deployed to entertain fans.

“What a tremendous day for bowling, the BPAA, Go Bowling’s member centers and the sport’s millions of participants nationwide,” said John Harbuck, President of Strike Ten Entertainment. “We’re honored to have been a part of an incredible holiday celebration and to have the opportunity to work with the Macy’s parade team to create these fantastic representations of our sport.”

Creating the balloonicles and bowling shoes was a months-long process led by Macy’s design and build team. What started in the summer as a drawing on a notepad eventually turned into seven balloon vehicles and two 12-foot bowling shoes, each driven by a parade volunteer. The pins stood 16 feet tall and the ball was 14 feet in diameter as each made its way down the 2.5 mile parade route that passed by Central Park, Radio City Music Hall and down 6th Avenue to Macy’s flagship location in Herald Square.

More than just a fun bowling celebration, the parade also presented the bowling industry the opportunity to gain exposure in front of millions of potential bowlers. More than three million fans watch the parade on the streets of New York each year, and the television audience exceeds 50 million viewers from coast to coast.

NBC televised the parade for the 71st straight year in 2018, airing the event as a part of its TODAY Show broadcast featuring hosts Savanah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker. CBS This Morning covered the Go Bowling balloonicles on its Thanksgiving morning parade broadcast, and The Late Late Show with James Corden also highlighted the Go Bowling display on Monday night, Nov. 19.

Go Bowling will partner with Macy’s again for the next two years, so keep an eye out for the Go Bowling balloonicles in 2019 and 2020!