[meaubry]

A float in the Thanksgiving Day parade called America's Parade in downtown Detroit was kicked around awhile back - the circumstances didn't pan out or warrant the effort. Maybe things are run differently in NY, but without a sponsor absorbing the costs it wasn't plausible.
As far as promoting FIRST with the float goes, I think the cost expended for TV airtime wasn't very good considering how long the float and commentators discuss each float. I think the airtime is a relatively short amount - if the goal is to be on the national broadcast - it gets even more complicated when you factor in the position of the float in the parade, ect. All in All, I wish you Good luck though.