The parade was suspended in 1943 and 1944 due to material shortages caused by World War II, but Hudson’s resumed the event in 1945 and continued sponsorship of the parade until 1979 when the costs became burdensome. It turned the parade over to the Detroit Renaissance Foundation who produced it for four years. In 1983, Detroit Renaissance turned the parade over to the newly-created Michigan Thanksgiving Parade Foundation and the event became known as The Michigan Thanksgiving Parade.
Since 2006, the parade has taken place on Woodward Avenue, starting near Woodward and Mack Avenues, and ending at Congress Street. This is the route the first parade followed in 1924. The parade travels toward downtown from Mack Avenue, after crossing over I-75 it enters Foxtown, near Detroit's Fox Theatre, the Hockeytown Cafe, and Comerica Park. From Foxtown, the parade passes through Grand Circus Park then into the business district where it then enters the TV coverage area near Grand River and Gratiot Avenues. The route had been displaced from this route for several years during the construction of Campus Martius Park and realignment of Woodward Avenue and other adjacent streets. The construction was completed in 2004.
