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The Rose Parade, also known as the Tournament of Roses Parade (or simply the Tournament of Roses), is an annual
parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually some variety ...
held mostly along
Colorado Boulevard Colorado Boulevard (or Colorado Street in Glendale, California, Glendale and parts of Arcadia, California, Arcadia) is a major east–west street in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It runs from Griffith Park in Los Angeles east ...
in
Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commerci ...
, United States, on
New Year's Day In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Day is the first day of the calendar year, January 1, 1 January. Most solar calendars, such as the Gregorian and Julian calendars, begin the year regularly at or near the December solstice, northern winter ...
(or on Monday, January 2 if New Year's Day falls on a Sunday). Produced by the non-profit Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association, the parade usually starts at 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time ( UTC–8), and includes flower-covered floats, marching bands, and equestrian units. The parade is followed in the afternoon by the Rose Bowl, one of the major
bowl game In North America, a bowl game, or simply bowl, is one of a number of postseason college football games primarily played by NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams. For most of its history, the FBS did not use a playoff tourname ...
s in
college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
. It has been uninterrupted except during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
in 1942, 1943, and 1945, and in 2021 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. First held on January 1, 1890, the Rose Parade is watched by hundreds of thousands of spectators. The Rose Bowl college football game was added in 1902 to help fund the cost of staging the parade. Since 2011,
Honda commonly known as just Honda, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate automotive manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in October 1946 by Soichiro Honda, Honda has bee ...
has been a presenting sponsor of the Rose Parade. Accordingly, the company has the parade's first float, which like all floats, follows the parade's theme.


History

Members of Pasadena's
Valley Hunt Club The Valley Hunt Club is a private social club and booster organization located in Pasadena, California, that is most noted for starting the Tournament of Roses Parade in 1890. Its members were former residents of the East and Midwest eager to show ...
first staged the parade in 1890. Since then the parade has been held in Pasadena every
New Year's Day In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Day is the first day of the calendar year, January 1, 1 January. Most solar calendars, such as the Gregorian and Julian calendars, begin the year regularly at or near the December solstice, northern winter ...
, except when January 1 falls on a Sunday. In that case, it is held on the subsequent Monday, January 2. This exception was instituted in 1893, as organizers did not wish to disturb horses hitched outside Sunday church services. Many of the members of the Valley Hunt Club were former residents of the American
East East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that ea ...
and
Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...
. They wished to showcase their new California home's mild winter weather. At a club meeting, Professor Charles F. Holder announced, "In New York, people are buried in the snow. Here our flowers are blooming and our oranges are about to bear. Let's hold a festival to tell the world about our paradise." Over the next few founding years, the parade added marching bands and motorized floats. By 1895, the event was too large for the Valley Hunt Club to handle, resulting in the formation of an ad hoc non-profit organization – the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association. By the 11th annual tournament (1900), the town lot on which the activities were held was renamed
Tournament Park Tournament Park is a park and athletics venue in Pasadena, California, United States, northeast of Los Angeles. Currently maintained by the California Institute of Technology, it was simply known as the "town lot" before being renamed "Tournament ...
, a large open area directly adjacent to Pasadena's world-famous institution of higher learning,
Caltech The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech) is a private university, private research university in Pasadena, California, United States. The university is responsible for many modern scientific advancements and is among a small g ...
. Activities soon included ostrich races, bronco busting demonstrations, and an odd novelty race between a camel and an elephant. (The elephant won the race.) Soon reviewing stands were built along the parade route and newspapers in Eastern Seaboard cities started to take notice of the event. The stately Italian Renaissance-style mansion of William Wrigley Jr. (the maker of Wrigley's chewing gum) was offered to the city of Pasadena after Mrs. Wrigley's death in 1958, under the condition that their home would be the Rose Parade's permanent headquarters. Tournament House is the name given to the former home where the organization is headquartered. The first associated football game was played on January 1, 1902. Originally titled the "Tournament East-West football game," it is considered to be the first Rose Bowl. The next game was not played until New Year's Day 1916; they have been played annually since then. The game derives its modern name from Rose Bowl Stadium, which was built for the 1923 game. In 2002 and 2006 (when the Rose Bowl Game was the
BCS National Championship Game The BCS National Championship Game was a postseason college football bowl game, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), first played in the 1998 college football season as one of four des ...
), the "Granddaddy of 'em all" was not held the same day as the parade; the 2002 game was played on January 3, the 2006 game was played on January 4. Not all fans were pleased with the change; some thought the atmosphere and tradition of the Rose Bowl was lost. Once the BCS title game was separated from the host bowl, it no longer affected the date of the Rose Bowl Game (even when the title game returned to Pasadena in 2010 and 2014). Since the mid-1990's, a flyover by the
Northrop B-2 Spirit The Northrop B-2 Spirit, also known as the Stealth Bomber, is an American heavy strategic bomber, featuring low-observable stealth technology designed to penetrate dense anti-aircraft defenses. A subsonic flying wing with a crew of two ...
signals the start of the parade to showcase the capabilities of the
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
preceded by a musical performance. Since 2019, the parade concludes with a special guest doing the ceremonial
forward pass In several forms of football, a forward pass is the throwing of the ball in the direction in which the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line. The legal and widespread use of the forward pass distinguishes grid ...
from the parade to the Rose Bowl followed by a prerecorded video message by a athlete or special guest and a musical performance. On July 15, 2020, it was announced that the Rose Parade for 2021 would be canceled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
; it was assessed under current conditions that the construction of floats for the parade could not be performed in a safe manner, while the event itself (due to large crowds and outside visitors) was also considered to be at a high risk of causing more instances of
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
infections. The parade was deferred to 2022. However, the parade number was still changed; what would have been called the 132nd parade officially became the 133rd parade. On November 13, 2020, it was announced that a TV special titled ''The Rose Parade's New Year's Celebration'' would take the parade's place and premiere on January 1, 2021.


Description

The Tournament of Roses Parade has followed the same route mainly following
Colorado Boulevard Colorado Boulevard (or Colorado Street in Glendale, California, Glendale and parts of Arcadia, California, Arcadia) is a major east–west street in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It runs from Griffith Park in Los Angeles east ...
(Pasadena's main thoroughfare and a segment of the former US 66) for many decades. The day before the parade, the entire environs of the neighborhood streets south of the intersection of
Orange Grove Boulevard Orange Grove Boulevard is a main thoroughfare in Pasadena, California, Pasadena and South Pasadena, California. Each New Year's Day, the Rose Parade participants and floats line up before dawn on Orange Grove Boulevard, facing north, for the beg ...
and Colorado Boulevard are sealed off and reserved for the marshaling of the dozens of floats, bands, equestrian units, and other elements. This sealed-off section acts as the "Formation Area", and the Formation Area Committee manages it. On parade morning the various elements are merged and dispatched in front of Tournament House. The parade starts heading north on South Orange Grove Boulevard beginning at Green Street. At
Colorado Boulevard Colorado Boulevard (or Colorado Street in Glendale, California, Glendale and parts of Arcadia, California, Arcadia) is a major east–west street in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It runs from Griffith Park in Los Angeles east ...
it passes the main grandstands (and the main television and media stands) and proceeds east on Colorado Boulevard. The parade then turns north on Sierra Madre Boulevard. The floats then must travel under the Sierra Madre Boulevard/ I-210 freeway overpass, requiring over-height floats to reduce their height. The parade ends at Paloma Street near Victory Park and Pasadena High School.


Recent parades

The 2009 parade featured 46 floats, including some new entries, such as
Jack in the Box Jack in the Box, Inc. is an American fast food restaurant chain founded on February 21, 1951, by Robert O. Peterson in San Diego, California, where it is headquartered. The chain has over 2,200 locations, primarily serving the West Coast of t ...
's ''Jack-O-Licious'', City of Mission Viejo's ''Making a Splash'', RFD-TV's ''Hee Haw'', and the City of Roseville's ''Entertaining Dreams for a Century''. The 2010 parade saluted the men and women serving
America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
throughout the world with a flyover at the beginning of the parade by four F/A-18 jets (performed by pilots of Strike Fighter Squadron 22, the "Fighting Redcocks") from the Naval Air Station at Lemoore, California). New floats that joined the 2011 Rose Parade were:
Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hil ...
Tournament of Roses Committee,
Cunard Line The Cunard Line ( ) is a British shipping and an international cruise line based at Carnival House at Southampton, England, operated by Carnival UK and owned by Carnival Corporation & plc. Since 2011, Cunard and its four ships have been r ...
, Dole, Los Angeles County Firemen's Benefit & Welfare: Never Forget 9/11 "Remember, Reflect, Renew", UNO 40th Anniversary, "Messina Wildlife Management",
Namco Bandai Games is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game video game publisher, publisher, and the video game branch of the wider Bandai Namco Holdings group. Founded in 2006 as it is the successor to Namco's home and arcade video game ...
, "Quikrete" Cement & Concrete Products, "Saving America's Mustangs Foundation", and Shriner's Hospitals For Children. The 2012 Rose Parade had 43 floats, 21 bands, and 18 equestrian units with approximately 400 horses. The honor for being the last units in the parade went to All American Cowgirl Chicks (Equestrian), Needham Broughton High School (Band), and RFD-TV (Float). It also featured the first-ever Swedish entry, the Royal Swedish Navy Cadet Band. The 2013 parade featured 42 floats, 23 marching bands, and 21 equestrian units. New for the 2013 Rose Parade were floats from Nurses' float "A Healing Place",
Delta Sigma Theta Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. () is a List of African-American fraternities, historically African American Fraternities and sororities, sorority. The organization was founded by college-educated women dedicated to public service with an emp ...
, and the city of San Gabriel centennial float "Celebrating Our Journey". It began with the
Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational financial services company with a significant global presence. The company operates in 35 countries and serves over 70 million customers worldwide. It is a systemically important fi ...
/Opening Unit, American
Honda commonly known as just Honda, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate automotive manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in October 1946 by Soichiro Honda, Honda has bee ...
's float, the
United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...
's Mounted Color Guard and the U.S. Marine Corps West Coast Composite Band. Farmers Insurance's "Love Float" featured the wedding of a
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
couple, Nicole and Gerald of Chesapeake, VA. The couple was selected through a first-ever public vote by the American people. The parade's closing unit featured
Coco Jones Courtney Michaela Ann "Coco" Jones (born January 4, 1998) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Born in Columbia, South Carolina and raised in Lebanon, Tennessee, Jones began auditioning as a child to pursue a career in entertainment. Sh ...
of the
Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...
. Featured in the 2014 parade were 45 floats, including new floats from eHarmony, K9s4COPS, Public Storage ("Adventures In Space") and SeaWorld. Actor, director, writer, producer
Garry Marshall Garry Kent Marshall (November 13, 1934 – July 19, 2016) was an American screenwriter, director, producer and actor. Marshall began his career in the 1960s as a writer for ''The Lucy Show'' and ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' until he developed the T ...
played the role of "director" on
Burbank Burbank may refer to: Places Australia * Burbank, Queensland, a suburb in Brisbane United States * Burbank, California, a city in Los Angeles County * Burbank, Santa Clara County, California, a census-designated place * Burbank, Illinois, ...
's "Lights...camera...action!" float. KC and the Sunshine Band were featured on Stella Rosa Wine's "Stellabrate Good Times" float. Performing on the e-Harmony float was
Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to prominence in the mid-1970s, with the release of her debut ...
, singing "This Will Be".
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
's '' The Voice'' joined this parade too, along with
Daryl Hall Daryl Franklin Hohl (born October 11, 1946), known professionally as Daryl Hall, is an American rock, R&B, and soul singer. He is best known as the co-founder and principal lead vocalist of Hall & Oates, with guitarist and songwriter John Oa ...
and the
Harlem Globetrotters The Harlem Globetrotters is an American Exhibition game, exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, entertainment, and comedy in their style of play. Over the years, they have played more than 26,000 exhibition games in 124 ...
. The
AIDS Healthcare Foundation AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is a Los Angeles-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and advocacy services. As of 2024, AHF operates about 400 clinics, 69 outpatient healthcare centers, 62 pharma ...
float ("Living the Dream: Love Is the Best Protection") featured a wedding of a California couple, Aubrey Loots and Danny Leclair; some people called for a boycott of the parade as the couple are actually both men. Nancy O'Dell, along with Jonathan and
Drew Scott Andrew Alfred Scott (born April 28, 1978) is a Canadian reality television personality, best known as the co-host (along with his identical twin brother Jonathan Scott (television personality), Jonathan) of the TV series ''Property Brothers''. ...
(of the ''
Property Brothers ''Property Brothers'' is a Canadian reality television series now produced by Scott Brothers Entertainment, and is the original show in the Property Brothers (franchise), ''Property Brothers'' franchise. The series features twin brothers Drew S ...
'') co-hosted the parade. The 2015 parade had 41 floats. New participants were ABC's '' The Bachelor'', American Armenian Rose Float Association, Kiehl's Since 1851,
Northwestern Mutual Northwestern Mutual is an American financial services mutual organization headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The financial security company provides consultation on wealth and asset income protection, education planning, retirement planning ...
, United
Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...
Mission, and
Zappos Zappos.com is an American online shoe and clothing retailer based in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. The company was founded in 1999 by Nick Swinmurn and launched under the domain name Shoesite.com. In July 2009, Amazon acquired Zappos in an ...
.com. The 2016 parade featured 44 floats, 19 equestrian units, and 20 marching bands. New participants were
Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...
, City of Irvine Chamber of Commerce,
South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...
Tourism, the California Milk Advisory Board,
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
(featuring
Downton Abbey ''Downton Abbey'' is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. It first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV (TV network), ITV on 26 September 2010 and in the United St ...
), and Union Bank. It marked the end of Bob Eubanks and Stephanie Edwards's participation in the parade for local television station
KTLA KTLA (channel 5) is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast flagship station of The CW. It is the largest directly owned property of the network's majority owner, Nexstar Media Group, and is ...
. Singpoli Group's float "Marco Polo East Meets West", constructed by float builder Paradiso was judged as the sweepstakes winner, the "Most beautiful entry in the Parade with outstanding floral presentation and design." The 2020 Rose Parade featured 40 floats, 17 equestrian units with over 450 horses, and 20 marching bands. The Co-Grand Marshals of the parade were gymnast Laurie Hernández, actress and singer
Rita Moreno Rita Moreno (born Rosa Dolores Alverío Marcano; December 11, 1931) is an American actress, dancer, and singer. With a career spanning eight decades she is known for her roles on stage and screen, and is one of the last remaining stars from t ...
, and actress
Gina Torres Gina Torres (born April 25, 1969) is an American actress. Her starring roles include Zoe Washburne in the science fiction series ''Firefly'' (2002–2003) and its feature film sequel '' Serenity'' (2005), and as Jessica Pearson in the legal dr ...
. The 2022 parade featured 43 floats, 18 equestrian units, and 20 marching bands in addition to the special units. The grand marshal was actor
LeVar Burton Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr. (born February 16, 1957) is an American actor, director, and television host. He played Geordi La Forge in '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (1987–1994), Kunta Kinte in the ABC miniseries ''Roots'' (1977 ...
. The 2023 parade's grand marshal was politician
Gabby Giffords Gabrielle Dee Giffords (born June 8, 1970) is an American retired politician and gun violence prevention advocate. She served as a member of the United States House of Representatives representing from January 2007 until January 2012, when ...
.


Floats

Originally the parade featured flower-decorated horse carriages. Over time, floats built by volunteers from sponsoring communities supplanted the carriages. Currently, most are built by professional float building companies and take nearly a year to construct. Some communities and organizational sponsors still rely on volunteers. The
Valley Hunt Club The Valley Hunt Club is a private social club and booster organization located in Pasadena, California, that is most noted for starting the Tournament of Roses Parade in 1890. Its members were former residents of the East and Midwest eager to show ...
still enters a flower-decorated carriage. The Cal Poly Universities Rose Float still relies solely on students who volunteer, with the present day requirement that "every inch of every float must be covered with flowers or other natural materials, such as leaves, seeds or bark". Floats are self-propelled on (generally used-up) truck chassis in contrast to the
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade in New York City presented by the American-based department store chain Macy's. The Parade first took place in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States ...
which uses trailer-based floats pulled by new, intact ( sponsor-provided) trucks. Typically 48 to 72 hours before parade day, one can view several of the floats being decorated with flowery mantles in the various 'float barns' that dot the Arroyo Seco / Rose Bowl area in West Pasadena, not far from the start of the parade. It is a rule of the parade that all surfaces of the float framework must be covered in natural materials (such as flowers, plants, seaweeds, seeds, bark, vegetables, or nuts, for example); furthermore, no artificial flowers or plant material are allowed, nor can the materials be artificially colored. Last-minute volunteer opportunities are usually available. There are 6 "Self-Built" Floats: Cal Poly Universities
City of BurbankCity of DowneyCity of La Canada FlintridgeCity of Sierra Madre
an
City of South Pasadena
Additionally, there have been a variety of commercial float builders, who, as of 2025, includ
Artistic Entertainment Services
(AES) an
Phoenix Decorating Company
Previous professional builders includ
Fiesta Parade Floats
(1988-2024)
Paradiso Parade Floats
(2012-2018), an
Charisma Floats & Designs
(1987-2011). Anaheim city's float at the 2008 Rose Parade included the
Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...
that the
NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
's
Anaheim Ducks The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confere ...
had won in 2007, hoisted by player Brad May. (As the regulations state that the outside of the float must exclusively use
organic material Organic matter, organic material or natural organic matter is the large source of carbon-based compounds found within natural and engineered, terrestrial, and aquatic environments. It is matter composed of organic compounds that have come fro ...
, ABC commentators speculated that the city got an exception to display the Cup.) Also, the
Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
had a float in celebration of the franchise's 50th anniversary in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, with Hall of Fame sportscasters
Vin Scully Vincent Edward Scully (November 29, 1927 – August 2, 2022) was an American sportscaster, best known for his broadcast work in Major League Baseball. Scully was the play-by-play announcer for the Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers for sixty-se ...
and Jaime Jarrin as well as former players Steve Garvey,
Fernando Valenzuela Fernando Valenzuela Anguamea (; November 1, 1960 – October 22, 2024), nicknamed "El Toro", was a Mexican professional baseball pitcher. Valenzuela played 17 Major League Baseball (MLB) seasons, from 1980 to 1997 (except for a one-year sabba ...
, Eric Karros, and
Nomar Garciaparra Anthony Nomar Garciaparra (; born July 23, 1973) is an American former Major League Baseball player and current SportsNet LA analyst. After playing parts of nine seasons as an All-Star shortstop for the Boston Red Sox, he played shortstop, Third ...
. The 2010 parade floats included the
Boy Scouts of America Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...
's 100th Anniversary float, the Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles in celebration of Mexico's bicentennial of independence, and "Safety Harbor Kids". The 2010 parade also featured a float from
Dick Van Patten Richard Vincent Van Patten (December 9, 1928 – June 23, 2015) was an American actor, comedian, businessman, and animal welfare advocate, whose career spanned seven decades of television. He was best known for his role as patriarch Tom Bra ...
's Natural Balance Pet Foods, which set a
Guinness Guinness () is a stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at Guinness Brewery, St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in the 18th century. It is now owned by the British-based Multinational corporation, multinational alcoholic bever ...
world record for the longest single-chassis float. The City of
West Covina West is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some Romance langu ...
paid tribute to the "service and commitment of the
Tuskegee Airmen The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of primarily African American military pilots (fighter and bomber) and airmen who fought in World War II. They formed the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Fighter Group, 477th Bombardment Group (Medium) of th ...
" with a float entitled ''"Tuskegee Airmen – A Cut Above"'', which featured a large bald eagle, two replica World War II "Redtails" fighter planes, and historical images of some of the airmen who served our country. The float won the Mayor's trophy as the most outstanding city entry – national or international, also
Anaheim Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the tenth-most ...
float featured the 2010 Major League Baseball All-Star Game that was played at
Angel Stadium of Anaheim Angel Stadium is a ballpark in Anaheim, California, United States. Since its opening in 1966 California Angels season, 1966, it has been the home venue of the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB), who relocated from Los Angeles to ...
, four former MLB All-Stars, pitchers
Mark Langston Mark Edward Langston (born August 20, 1960) is an American former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched for the Seattle Mariners (1984–1989), Montreal Expos (1989), California / Anaheim Angels (1990–1997), San Diego Padres ( ...
, Chuck Finley, and Troy Percival, along with second baseman Bobby Grich were aboard. Since January 1, 2012, fell on a Sunday, tradition dictated that the parade would be held on Monday, January 2, 2012. The 2012 Rose Parade had 43 floats, featuring the
Honda commonly known as just Honda, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate automotive manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in October 1946 by Soichiro Honda, Honda has bee ...
float featuring Grammy Award-winning musician
Kenny G Kenneth Bruce Gorelick (born June 5, 1956) is an American smooth jazz saxophonist, composer, and record producer. His 1986 album ''Duotones'' brought him commercial success. Kenny G is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selli ...
aboard, the LMU Centennial Celebration float, and the
Girl Scouts of the USA Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA), commonly referred to as Girl Scouts, is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912, a year after she ...
100th Anniversary float (entitled ''"What Will You Do Today?"''). Float builder Fiesta Floats donated their services to the design of the Girl Scouts float, which was decorated by the organization's volunteers (of all ages).
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...
also participated in the 2012 parade with its centennial celebration float "''100 Years of Movie Magic"''.
Namco Bandai Games is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game video game publisher, publisher, and the video game branch of the wider Bandai Namco Holdings group. Founded in 2006 as it is the successor to Namco's home and arcade video game ...
joined the parade for the first time, commemorating the
Power Rangers ''Power Rangers'' is an American media franchise created by Haim Saban, Shuki Levy and Shotaro Ishinomori built around a live-action superhero television series, based on the Japanese tokusatsu franchise ''Super Sentai''. It is currently ow ...
. Others were
Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company, technology conglomerate headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975, the company became influential in the History of personal computers#The ear ...
Kinect Kinect is a discontinued line of motion sensing input devices produced by Microsoft and first released in 2010. The devices generally contain RGB color model, RGB cameras, and Thermographic camera, infrared projectors and detectors that map dep ...
("''You are the Controller"'') and the Kit-Cat Klock (''"Timeless Fun for Everyone"''). The 2018 Rose Parade was the last parade for the city of
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
after 122 consecutive years sponsoring floats for the Rose Parade. Los Angeles Mayor
Eric Garcetti Eric Michael Garcetti (born February 4, 1971) is an American politician and diplomat who served as the List of ambassadors of the United States to India, United States ambassador to India from 2023 to 2025. He was the 42nd mayor of Los Angeles f ...
was aboard the float titled "Everyone is Welcome".


Equestrians

Prior to the parade an "Equestfest" is held at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center to showcase the performances by the talented riding teams. Equestrian units taking part in "Equestfest" have included the Clydesdales of the U.S. Army's First Cavalry Division from Fort Hood, "Traveler" (the USC mascot), the Sons and Daughters of the Reel West, and the California State Fire Fighters Association. Bob Eubanks and Shawn Parr have served as announcers at "Equestfest." Montie Montana was a perennial participant until his death in 1998. TV viewers know him from more than 60 appearances, waving to the crowd from his silver saddle. 2010: 23 units – All American Cowgirl Chicks, Amigos de Anza Equestrian Drill Team, Arizona Mini Mystique Driving Drill Team, Benny Martinez Family, Calizona Appaloosa Horse Club, Cowgirls Historical Foundation, Giddy Up Gals, L.A. County Sheriff – Mounted Enforcement, Long Beach Mounted Police, Medieval Times, The New Buffalo Soldiers, Painted Ladies Rodeo Performers, Region 1 Versatile Arabians, Scripps Miramar Saddlebreds, The Shire Riders, So Cal Peruvian Paso Horse Club, U.S. Army Ft. Hood – 1st Cavalry, USMC – Color Guard, USMC – Mountain Warfare Training, Valley Hunt Club, Victorian Roses Ladies Riding Society, Wells Fargo, and Western Haflinger Association. 2011: 22 units – 1st Cavalry Fort Hood, All American Cowgirl Chicks, Benny Martinez Family,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
State Firefighters' Association, Cowgirls Historical Foundation, Equine Extremist with Tommie Turvey, Giddy Up Gals Drill Team,
Kern County Kern County is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 909,235. Its county seat is Bakersfield, California, Bakersfield. Kern County compris ...
Sheriffs Mounted Posse,
Long Beach Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...
Mounted Police,
Medieval Times In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and t ...
Dinner and Tournament, New Buffalo Soldiers, Region One Arabians, Saving America's Mustangs Foundation, Scripps Miramar Saddlebreds, Southern California Peruvian Paso Horse Club, Spirit of the West Riders, The Shire Riders,
United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...
Mounted Color Guard,
Valley Hunt Club The Valley Hunt Club is a private social club and booster organization located in Pasadena, California, that is most noted for starting the Tournament of Roses Parade in 1890. Its members were former residents of the East and Midwest eager to show ...
, Victorian Roses Ladies Riding Society,
Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational financial services company with a significant global presence. The company operates in 35 countries and serves over 70 million customers worldwide. It is a systemically important fi ...
, and Wild West Willie (combined with Kern County Sheriffs Mounted Posse). 2012: 22 units – The All American Cowgirl Chicks, Arizona Mini Mystique, Broken Horn Ropers, Calgary Stampede Showriders (riding with the Calgary Stampede Showband), Calizona Appaloosas, Cowgirls Historical Foundation, Escondido Mounted Police, First Cavalry Fort Hood (US Army), Kings County Sheriff's Posse, LAPD Mounted Unit, Long Beach Mounted Police, Los Hermanos Banuelos, Medieval Times, Merced County Sheriff's Posse, New Buffalo Soldiers, The Santa Rosa Palomino Club, So Cal Peruvian Pasos, Spirit of the West, War Horse Militia, US Marine Corps, Valley Hunt Club, and Wells Fargo. 2013: 20 units – 1st Cavalry Division Horse Cavalry Detachment, All American Cowgirl Chicks, Anaheim Police Department Mounted Enforcement Unit, Canadian Cowgirls Precision Drill Team, Costumed Arabians Region One, Hawaii Pāʻū Riders, Hermanos Bañuelos Charro Team, Jackson Fork Ranch Percherons, Long Beach Mounted Police, Marine Corps Mounted Color Guard, Medieval Times, The New Buffalo Soldiers, The Norco Cowgirls Rodeo Drill Team, ONDAR and the Eagles of Tuva, Prime Time Express Mounted Drill Team, Ramona Pageant, Scripps Miramar Saddlebreds, SD Farm, Spirit of the West Riders, Valley Hunt Club, Wells Fargo. 2014: 16 units – All American Cowgirl Chicks, Budweiser Clydesdales, Calizona Appaloosa Horse Club, Hermanos Bañuelos Charro Team,
Los Angeles Police {{Unreferenced, date=June 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot) Law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of the government or other social institutions who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by investigating, deterring, ...
Metropolitan Division Mounted Platoon/ Los Angeles County Sheriff's Mounted Enforcement Detail, The Martinez Family, Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament, The New Buffalo Soldiers, The Norco Cowgirls Rodeo Drill Team, Norwegian Fjord Horse Registry, Scripps Miramar Saddlebreds, Spirit of the West Riders, United States Marine Corps Mounted Color Guard, Valley Hunt Club, War Horse Foundation, Wells Fargo. Equestfest will take place December 29, 2013. 2015: 18 units – 1st Cavalry Division Horse Cavalry Detachment, Budweiser Clydesdales, Hawaii Pa'u Riders, Hermanos Bañuelos Charro Team, Los Angeles County Fire Department, The Martinez Family, Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament, The New Buffalo Soldiers, The Norco Cowgirls Rodeo Drill Team, Old Spanish Days in Santa Barbara, Prime Time Express Mounted Drill Team, Scripps Miramar Saddlebreds, Spirit of the West Riders, United States Forest Service Pack String, United States Marine Corps Mounted Color Guard, Valley Hunt Club, Victorian Roses Ladies Riding Society, Wells Fargo. 2016: 19 units – 1st Cavalry Horse Detachment – Fort Hood, American Endurance Ride Conference, Anheuser Busch Budweiser Clydesdales, Calizona Appaloosa Horse Club, Dakota Thunder Shires, Long Beach Mounted Police, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Los Hermanos Bañuelos, Martinez Family, Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament, National Park Service, The New Buffalo Soldiers, The Norco Cowgirls & The Little Miss Norco Cowgirls Rodeo Drill Team, Scripps Miramar Ranch, Spirit of the West Riders, U.S. Army Field Artillery Half Section – Fort Sill, U.S. Marine Corps Mounted Color Guard, Valley Hunt Club, and Wells Fargo. 2017: 20 units – 1st Cavalry Division Horse Cavalry Detachment (Fort Hood, Texas), Backcountry Horsemen of California – Mid-Valley Unit (Sonora, California), Budweiser Clydesdales (St. Louis, Missouri), California Highway Patrol Mounted Patrol Unit (Sacramento, California), Kern County Sheriff's Mounted Posse (Bakersfield, California), Los Hermanos Bañuelos Charro Team (Altadena, California), Mane Attraction Equestrian Drill Team (Riverside, California), Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament (Buena Park, California), The New Buffalo Soldiers (Shadow Hills, California), The Norco Cowgirls & The Little Miss Norco Cowgirls Rodeo Drill Team (Norco, California), Philippine Scouts Heritage Society – U.S. Army's 26th Cavalry Regiment (Los Angeles, California), Santa Barbara County Sheriff Mounted Enforcement Unit (Santa Barbara, California), Scripps Miramar Saddlebreds (San Diego, California), Seven Oaks Farm Miniature Therapy Horses (Hamilton, Ohio), Spirit of the West Riders (Leona Valley, California), Union Rescue Mission – Los Angeles (Los Angeles, California), United States Marine Corps Mounted Color Guard (Barstow, California), Valley Hunt Club (Pasadena, California), Victorian Roses Ladies Riding Society (San Diego, California), and Wells Fargo Stagecoaches (Los Angeles, California) 2018: 20 units – 1st Cavalry Division Horse Cavalry Detachment (Fort Hood, Texas), Broken Horn Ropers (Baldwin Park, California), Budweiser Clydesdales (St. Louis, Missouri), California Highway Patrol Mounted Patrol Unit (Sacramento, California), Long Beach Mounted Police (Long Beach, California), Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Mounted Enforcement Detail (Los Angeles, California), The Los Angeles Police Department Metropolitan Division Mounted Platoon, Honor Guard, Bagpipe & Drum Band (Los Angeles, California), Los Hermanos Bañuelos Charro Team (Altadena, California), Mane Attraction Equestrian Drill Team (Riverside, California), Mini Therapy Horses (Calabasas, California), The New Buffalo Soldiers (Shadow Hills, California), The Norco Cowgirls & The Little Miss Norco Cowgirls Rodeo Drill Teams (Norco, California), Ramona – California's Official Outdoor Play (Hemet, California), Scripps Miramar Ranch (San Diego, California), So Cal Mini Horse Sanctuary, Inc. (Hemet, California), Spirit of the West Riders (Leona Valley, California), United States Marine Corps Mounted Color Guard (Barstow, California), The Valley Center Vaqueros (Valley Center, California), The Valley Hunt Club (Pasadena, California) Wells Fargo Stagecoaches (Meeker, Oklahoma) 2019: 19 units – 1st Cavalry Division, Horse Cavalry Detachment (Fort Hood, Texas), Blue Shadows Mounted Drill Team (Castaic, California), Budweiser Clydesdales (St. Louis, Missouri), Calgary Stampede Showriders (Strathmore, Alberta, Canada), California Highway Patrol (Sacramento, California), Gold Rush Fire Brigade (Pilot Hill, California), Hawaii Pa'u Riders (Waimanalo, Hawaii), Los Hermanos Bañuelos Charro Team (Altadena, California), Mini Therapy Horses (Calabasas, California), Parsons Mounted Cavalry (College Station, Texas), Scripps Miramar Ranch (San Diego, California), Spirit of the West Riders (Leona Valley, California), The New Buffalo Soldiers (Shadow Hills, California), The Norco Cowgirls Rodeo Drill Team & Little Miss Norco Cowgirls Jr. Drill Team (Norco, California), The Valley Hunt Club (Pasadena, California), United States Marine Corps Mounted Color Guard (Barstow, California), US Forest Service Pack Mules Celebrate Smokey Bear's 75th (Vallejo, California), Wells Fargo Stagecoaches (San Francisco, California) 2020: 17 units – 1st Cavalry Division Horse Cavalry Detachment (Fort Hood, Texas), Arabian Horse Association (Sierra Madre, California), Blue Shadows Mounted Drill Team (Castaic, California), Budweiser Clydesdales (St. Louis, Missouri), Buffalo Soldiers Mounted Cavalry Unit (BSMCU) (Mojave, California), Express Clydesdales (Yukon, Oklahoma), Horsewomen of Temecula Wine Country (Temecula Eq-Wine Riders), Knott's Berry Farm (Buena Park, California), Los Hermanos Bañuelos (Altadena, California), Mid America Cowgirls Rodeo Drill Team (New Buffalo, Michigan), Mini Therapy Horses (Calabasas, California), Painted Ladies Rodeo Performers (Roseville, California), Rural Media Group (Gretna, Nebraska), Scripps Miramar Ranch (San Diego, California), Spirit of the West Riders (Leona Valley, California), USMC Mounted Color Guard (Barstow, California), The Valley Hunt Club (Pasadena, California) 2022: 18 units (listed alphabetically) – 1st Cavalry Division Horse Cavalry Detachment (Fort Hood, Texas), Arabian Horse Association (Sierra Madre, California), Blue Shadows Mounted Drill Team (Castaic, California), Budweiser Clydesdales (St. Louis, Missouri), Hawaii Pa'u Riders (Waimanalo, Hawaii), Horsewomen of Temecula Wine Country (Temecula, California), Los Hermanos Banuelos (Altadena, California), Merced County Sheriff Posse (Hilmar, California), Mini Therapy Horses (Calabasas, California), The New Buffalo Soldiers (Shadow Hills, California), Norco Cowgirls Rodeo Drill Team (Norco, California), Norwegian Fjord Horses (Berthoud, Colorado), Painted Ladies Rodeo Performers (Roseville, California), Scripps Miramar Ranch – American Saddlebred Horses (San Diego, California), Spirit of the West Riders (Leona Valley, California), USMC Mounted Color Guard (Barstow, California), The Valley Hunt Club (Pasadena, California), and Victorian Roses Ladies Riding Society (Alpine, California) 2023: – 2024: 18 units (listed alphabetically) – 1st Cavalry Division Horse Cavalry Detachment (Fort Cavazos, Texas), Arabian Horse Association Versatile Arabians (Greenwood Village, Colorado), Blue Shadows Mounted Drill Team (Lakeview Terrace, California), Budweiser Clydesdales (St. Louis, Missouri), California Cowgirls Drill Team (Wilton, California), Long Beach Mounted Police & Kings County Sheriff's Posse (Long Beach, California and Kings County, California), Los Hermanos Banuelos Charro Team (Altadena, California), The New Buffalo Soldiers (Shadow Hills, California), The Norco Cowgirls Rodeo Drill Team (Norco, California), Orange County Regional Mounted Enforcement Unit/Western State Mounted Officer Association (Orange County, California), Painted Ladies Rodeo Performers (Sacramento, California), Scripps Miramar Ranch (San Diego, California), Silver Spurs Riding Club Quadrille (Kissimmee, Florida), Smokey Bear's 80th Birthday Celebration (Washington D.C.), Spirit of the West Riders (Arcadia, California), Valley Hunt Club (Pasadena, California), Victorian Roses Ladies Riding Society (Alpine, California), United States Marine Corps Mounted Color Guard (Barstow, California) 2025: 16 units (listed alphabetically) – Arabian Horse Association Versatile Arabians (Greenwood Village, Colorado), Blue Shadows Mounted Drill Team (Lake View Terrace, California), Budweiser Clydesdales (St. Louis, Missouri), First Cavalry Division, Horse Cavalry Detachment (Fort Cavazos, Texas), International Andalusian and Lusitano Horse Association (Birmingham, Alabama), Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department – Sheriff’s Museum Foundation (Los Angeles, California), Los Hermanos Banuelos Charro Team (Altadena, California), Mini Therapy Horses (Calabasas, California), Northwest Spotted Drafts (Ferndale, Washington), Painted Ladies Rodeo Performers (Sacramento, California), Scripps Miramar Ranch (San Diego, California), Spirit of the West Riders (Arcadia, California), The New Buffalo Soldiers (Shadow Hills, California), The Norco Cowgirls Rodeo Drill Team (Norco, California), The Valley Hunt Club (Pasadena, California), United States Marine Corps Mounted Color Guard (Barstow, California)


Bands

Top marching bands from all over the world are invited. Many of the nation's top high school marching bands, along with college and organizational marching bands participate. The bands participating in the parade have developed traditions throughout its history. For example,
Pasadena City College Pasadena City College (PCC) is a Public college, public community college in Pasadena, California. It was founded in 1924 as Pasadena Junior College. History Pasadena City College was founded in 1924 as Pasadena Junior College. It originally o ...
's Tournament of Roses Honor Band always marches in the Rose Parade, along with the
Los Angeles Unified School District Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is a State school, public school district in Los Angeles County, California, United States of America. It is the largest public school system in California in terms of number of students and the List ...
All City Honor Band, all of whom are selected by audition the previous autumn. Positions in both bands are coveted, and those selected are among the best student musicians in California. The Tournament of Roses Honor Band's Herald Trumpets unit marches and plays directly before the Rose Queen's float. Nine trumpet players and one snare drummer are selected from those who audition for the band for the unit. University marching bands from the two schools competing in the Rose Bowl Game are invited to march in the parade. They typically accompany the float that represents the school and conference. . Bands that have a long-standing arrangement to be in the parade include: * The official Tournament of Roses Honor Band hosted by
Pasadena City College Pasadena City College (PCC) is a Public college, public community college in Pasadena, California. It was founded in 1924 as Pasadena Junior College. History Pasadena City College was founded in 1924 as Pasadena Junior College. It originally o ...
consisting of members of the college's Lancer Marching Band and talented high school musicians from throughout California (89th Rose Parade appearance in 2018). * The
Los Angeles Unified School District Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is a State school, public school district in Los Angeles County, California, United States of America. It is the largest public school system in California in terms of number of students and the List ...
All City Honor Band * The
Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...
Tournament of Roses Marching Band consisting of local and visiting Salvation Army musicians (103rd appearance in 2023). The Salvation Army band has performed more than any band in the parade. * The
United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...
West Coast Composite Band In 1891, the
Monrovia Monrovia () is the administrative capital city, capital and largest city of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast and as of the 2022 census had 1,761,032 residents, home to 33.5% of Liber ...
Town Band was the first musical group to perform in the Rose Parade. In 1998, the Washington Township High School Minutemen Marching Band from Sewell, New Jersey became the first band in the history of the Rose Parade to decorate its entire ranks with live flowers, in keeping with the practice of decorating the parade floats. From the neighboring town of Arcadia, the Arcadia High School Apache Marching Band and Colorguard has appeared for 15 years, returning about every four years. The Allen Eagle Escadrille from
Allen, Texas Allen is a city in Collin County, Texas, Collin County in the U.S. state of Texas, and a northern suburb in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The population was 104,627 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, and was estimated to be 111 ...
had a record breaking 780 members in the 2016 Rose Parade. In addition to the parade, the bands participate in a two-day, three-show Bandfest at
Pasadena City College Pasadena City College (PCC) is a Public college, public community college in Pasadena, California. It was founded in 1924 as Pasadena Junior College. History Pasadena City College was founded in 1924 as Pasadena Junior College. It originally o ...
's Jackie and Mack Robinson Stadium, usually on December 29 and 30 (December 30 and 31 when the parade is on January 2). Number of the bands also perform at other Southern California venues.


Theme

Shortly after the parade in January, the newly elected President of the Tournament of Roses has the duty of picking a theme for the forthcoming festivities. Most of the floral floats in the parade are inspired by this theme.Tournament of Roses Past Themes
On January 19, 2023, Pasadena attorney Alex Aghajanian was confirmed as President of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association for 2023–2024. He announced that the theme for the 135th Rose Parade and the 110th Rose Bowl game would be "Celebrating a World of Music: The Universal Language". The Tournament of Roses President will lead the 14-member Executive Committee and the organization of 935 volunteer members for the upcoming year.


Themes

* 1918 – Patriotism * 1919 – Victory Tournament * 1920-1926 – No Themes * 1927 – Songs in Flowers * 1928 – States & Nations in Flowers * 1929 – Poems in Flowers * 1930 – Festival Days in Flowers * 1931 – Dreams in Flowers * 1932 – Nations & Games in Flowers * 1933 – Fairy Tales in Flowers * 1934 – Tales of the Seven Seas * 1935 – Golden Legends * 1936 – History in Flowers * 1937 – Romance in Flowers * 1938 – Playland Fantasies * 1939 – Golden Memories * 1940 – 20th Century in Flowers * 1941 – America in Flowers * 1942 – The Americas * 1943 – We're in to Win * 1944 – Memories of the Past * 1945 – Hold a Victory so Hardly Won * 1946 – Victory, Unity and Peace * 1947 – Holidays in Flowers * 1948 – Our Golden West * 1949 – Childhood Memories * 1950 – Our American Heritage * 1951 – Joyful Living * 1952 – Dreams of the Future * 1953 – Melodies in Flowers * 1954 – Famous Books in Flowers * 1955 – Familiar Sayings in Flowers * 1956 – Pages From the Ages * 1957 – Famous Firsts in Flowers * 1958 – Daydreams in Flowers * 1959 – Adventures in Flowers * 1960 – Tall Tales and True * 1961 – Ballads in Blossom * 1962 – Around the World in Flowers * 1963 – Memorable Moments * 1964 – Symbols of Freedom * 1965 – Headlines in Flowers * 1966 – It's a Small World * 1967 – Travel Tales in Flowers * 1968 – Wonderful World of Adventure * 1969 – A Time to Remember * 1970 – Holidays Around the World * 1971 – Through the Eyes of a Child * 1972 – The Joy of Music * 1973 – Movie Memories * 1974 – Happiness Is ... * 1975 – Heritage of America * 1976 – America, Let's Celebrate! * 1977 – The Good Life * 1978 – On the Road to Happiness * 1979 – Our Wonderful, Wonderful World of Sports * 1980 – Music of America * 1981 – The Great Outdoors * 1982 – Friends and Neighbors * 1983 – Rejoice! * 1984 – A Salute to the Volunteer * 1985 – The Spirit of America * 1986 – A Celebration of Laughter * 1987 – A World of Wonders * 1988 – Thanks to Communications * 1989 – Celebration 100 * 1990 – A World of Harmony * 1991 – Fun 'n' Games * 1992 – Voyages of Discovery * 1993 – Entertainment on Parade * 1994 – Fantastic Adventure * 1995 – SPORTS-Quest for Excellence * 1996 – Kids' Laughter & Dreams * 1997 – Life's Shining Moments * 1998 – Hav'n Fun! * 1999 – Echoes of the Century * 2000 – Celebration 2000: Visions of the Future * 2001 – Fabric of America * 2002 – Good Times * 2003 – Children's Dreams, Wishes and Imagination * 2004 – Music Music Music * 2005 – Celebrate Family * 2006 – It's Magical * 2007 – Our Good Nature * 2008 – Passport to the World's Celebrations * 2009 – Hats Off! to Entertainment * 2010 – A Cut Above the Rest * 2011 – Building Dreams, Friendships & Memories * 2012 – Just Imagine... * 2013 – Oh, the Places You'll Go! (based on Dr. Seuss' last book ''
Oh, the Places You'll Go! ''Oh, the Places You'll Go!'' is a children's picture book, written and illustrated by children's author Dr. Seuss. It was first published by Random House on January 22, 1990. It was his last book to be published during his lifetime, before his ...
'') * 2014 – Dreams Come True * 2015 – Inspiring Stories * 2016 – Find Your Adventure *2017 – Echoes of Success * 2018 – Making a Difference * 2019 – The Melody of Life * 2020 – The Power of Hope * 2022 – Dream. Believe. Achieve. ''(2021 parade canceled due to COVID-19)'' * 2023 – Turning the Corner * 2024 – Celebrating a World of Music: The Universal Language * 2025 – Best Day Ever! * 2026 – The Magic in Teamwork


Grand Marshal

The Grand Marshal of the parade is an honorary position selected by the president of the Tournament. Many are picked for a relationship to the theme that is also picked by the president. Traditionally, the Grand Marshal of the parade also participates in the Coin Toss during the Rose Bowl. The 2022 Grand Marshal was actor
LeVar Burton Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr. (born February 16, 1957) is an American actor, director, and television host. He played Geordi La Forge in '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (1987–1994), Kunta Kinte in the ABC miniseries ''Roots'' (1977 ...
. As there was no parade in 2021, there was no Grand Marshal that year. The 2020 Co-Grand Marshals were
Rita Moreno Rita Moreno (born Rosa Dolores Alverío Marcano; December 11, 1931) is an American actress, dancer, and singer. With a career spanning eight decades she is known for her roles on stage and screen, and is one of the last remaining stars from t ...
(from '' Electric Company''),
Gina Torres Gina Torres (born April 25, 1969) is an American actress. Her starring roles include Zoe Washburne in the science fiction series ''Firefly'' (2002–2003) and its feature film sequel '' Serenity'' (2005), and as Jessica Pearson in the legal dr ...
and Laurie Hernández. The 2019 Grand Marshal was singer
Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan ( ), is an American singer. Known as the " Queen of Funk", her career has spanned more than five decades beginning in the early 1970s as the lead vocalist of ...
. The 2018 Grand Marshal was
Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...
nominee and distinguished humanitarian
Gary Sinise Gary Alan Sinise (; born March 17, 1955) is an American actor, director, producer, musician and humanitarian. Among other awards, he has won a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Tony Award, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards. He has ...
. For the 2017 parade,
Greg Louganis Gregory Efthimios Louganis (; born January 29, 1960) is an American Olympic Diving (sport), diver who won gold medals at the 1984 Summer Olympics, 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics on the springboard and platform. He is the only man and the second ...
,
Janet Evans Janet Beth Evans (born August 28, 1971) is an American former competition swimmer who swam from 1989 to 1992 for Stanford University and specialized in distance freestyle events. Evans was a world champion and world record-holder, and won a to ...
and Allyson Felix served as marshals. Documentary filmmaker
Ken Burns Kenneth Lauren Burns (born July 29, 1953) is an American filmmaker known for his documentary films and television series, many of which chronicle American history and culture. His work is often produced in association with WETA-TV or the Nati ...
was selected as the 2016 Grand Marshal. The 2015 parade Grand Marshal was to be
Louis Zamperini Louis Silvie Zamperini (January 26, 1917 – July 2, 2014) was an American World War II veteran, an Olympic distance runner and a Christian Evangelism, evangelist. He took up running in high school and qualified for the United States in t ...
. After his death on July 2, 2014, the Tournament announced that it was "committed to honoring him as the Grand Marshal of the 2015 Rose Parade." During the parade,
USC USC may refer to: Education United States * Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico * University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina ** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina * ...
mascot Traveler walked in his place, riderless to honor Zamperini.
Vin Scully Vincent Edward Scully (November 29, 1927 – August 2, 2022) was an American sportscaster, best known for his broadcast work in Major League Baseball. Scully was the play-by-play announcer for the Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers for sixty-se ...
was chosen as the Grand Marshal of the 2014 parade and Rose Bowl Game. Previously, President Sally Bixby named
Jane Goodall Dame Jane Morris Goodall (; born Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall; 3 April 1934), formerly Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall, is an English zoologist, Primatology, primatologist and Anthropology, anthropologist. She is considered the world's foremo ...
as the Grand Marshal for the 2013 parade, succeeding J. R. Martinez, the 2012 grand marshal.
Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery, who manages and operates it as a division of the Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Networks Group. The channel airs both televi ...
star Paula Deen was the Grand Marshal of the 2011 parade. Captain Chesley Sullenberger was the 2010 Grand Marshal and actress Cloris Leachman served as the 2009 Grand Marshal, the 10th female grand marshal in the history of the parade.
Mary Pickford Gladys Louise Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American film actress and producer. A Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood, pioneer in the American film industry with a Hollywood care ...
was the first female Grand Marshal. Other Hollywood celebrities who appeared as Grand Marshal are Leo Carrillo,
Harold Lloyd Harold Clayton Lloyd Sr. (April 20, 1893 – March 8, 1971) was an American actor, comedian, and stunt performer who appeared in many Silent film, silent comedy films.Obituary ''Variety'', March 10, 1971, page 55. One of the most influent ...
,
Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...
,
John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...
,
George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker and philanthropist. He created the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founded Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairman ...
, and
Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...
. Repeat Marshals of the Tournament of Roses Parade *
Shirley Temple Shirley Temple Black (born Shirley Jane Temple; April 23, 1928 – February 10, 2014) was an American actress, singer, dancer, and diplomat, who was Hollywood's number-one box-office draw as a child actress from 1934 to 1938. Later, she was na ...
(1928–2014), 1939, 1989, 1999 * Charles Daggett, 1900, 1901, 1914 *
Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...
(1890–1969), 1951, 1964 (note that Cpl. Robert S. Gray filled in for him in 1951) *
Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...
(1903–2003), 1947, 1969 *
Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...
(1913–1994), 1953, 1960 * C. C. Reynolds, 1902, 1903 * Dr. Francis F. Rowland, 1890, 1892, 1894, 1904, 1905, 1910, 1916 * Dr. Ralph Skillen, 1907, 1908, 1911 * Edwin Stearns, 1896, 1897 * Martin H. Weight, 1898, 1899 *
Earl Warren Earl Warren (March 19, 1891 – July 9, 1974) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 30th governor of California from 1943 to 1953 and as the 14th Chief Justice of the United States from 1953 to 1969. The Warren Court presid ...
(1891–1974), 1943, 1955


Rose Queen and Rose Court

Each September, some 1,000 young women (and a few young men) between the ages of 17 and 25 interview to serve as a member of the Tournament of Roses Rose Court. The Pasadena Tournament of Roses administers a selection process to determine which greater Pasadena-area young women will have the honor of being crowned Queen of the
Tournament of Roses The Rose Parade, also known as the Tournament of Roses Parade (or simply the Tournament of Roses), is an annual parade held mostly along Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, California, United States, on New Year's Day (or on Monday, January 2 if New ...
, or more commonly known as " Rose Queen." In addition to one Rose Queen, six Rose Princesses will also be selected to make up the Rose Court. The Rose Court will then ride on a specially designed float in the Rose Parade and will also preside over the
Rose Bowl Game The Rose Bowl Game is an annual American college football bowl game, traditionally played on January 1 (New Year's Day) at the Rose Bowl (stadium), Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on ...
. The Rose Court will also attend over one hundred events in the
Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...
area as ambassadors of the Tournament of Roses. Residency for the Rose Queen and Court hopefuls include the
Pasadena City College Pasadena City College (PCC) is a Public college, public community college in Pasadena, California. It was founded in 1924 as Pasadena Junior College. History Pasadena City College was founded in 1924 as Pasadena Junior College. It originally o ...
district and starting with the 2025 Rose Parade and thereafter, the cities of
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and San Gabriel and the
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neighborhoods of Eagle Rock, Highland Park, Monterey Hills and El Sereno, which are served by the Los Angeles Community College District. '' One Tree Hill'' and '' Chicago P.D.'' actress
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was Rose Queen in 2000. 1997 Rose Princess Lisa Remillard is an anchor with
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's KUSI television station. The 2015 Rose Queen was Madison Triplett (John Marshall Fundamental High School). Members of the Royal Court were Mackenzie Byers (Pasadena City College), Gabrielle Current (Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy), Veronica Mejia (Pasadena City College), Bergen Onufer (Mayfield Senior School), Simona Shao (Westridge School) and Emily Stoker (Temple City High School). The 2016 Rose Queen was Erika Karen Winter (Flintridge Preparatory School). Members of the Royal Court were Natalie Breanne Hernandez-Barber (Alverno High School), Donaly Elizabeth Marquez (Blair International Baccalaureate School), Bryce Marie Bakewell (Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy), Rachelle Liu (San Marino High School), Regina Pullens (Maranatha High School), and Sarah Shaklan (La Canada High School). The 2017 Rose Queen was Victoria "Tori" Castellanos (Temple City High School). Isabella Marez of La Salle High School was crowned as the 100th Tournament of Roses Queen on October 18, 2017. Other members of the 2018 Royal Court: Julianne Lauenstein (La Cañada High School); Sydney Pickering (Arcadia High School); Savannah Bradley (Pasadena High School); Georgia Cervenka (La Cañada High School); Lauren Buehner (Arcadia High School); Alexandra Artura (Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy). The 2019 Royal Court consisted of Louise Siskel, Rucha Kadam, Helen Rossi, Lauren Baydaline, Sherry Ma, Ashley Hackett, and Micaele McElrath. As there was no parade in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was no Rose Queen crowned for that year. Before that, the last time that a Rose Queen was not crowned was 1929. The Royal Court for the 2022 Rose Parade was announced on October 4, 2021, by Dr. Robert Miller, the president of the Tournament of Roses Association. They are: Jeannine Briggs (John Marshall Fundamental High School), Nadia Chung (La Cañada High School), Ava Feldman (South Pasadena High School), Abigail Griffith (Pasadena High School), Swetha Somasundaram (Arcadia High School), McKenzie Street (Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy), and Jaeda Walden (La Cañada High School). The coronation of the new queen was held on October 26, 2021. Nadia Chung was named as the 2022 Rose Queen. The 2022 Rose Queen is required to have been vaccinated against COVID-19. The 2023 Rose Court was announced on October 3 and consisted of: Salia Baligh, Uma Wittenberg, Adrian Crick, Sahanna Rajinikanthan, Bella Ballard, Zoe Denoncourt, Michelle Cortez-Peralta The 2025 Rose Court consisted of: Rose Queen Lindsay Charles (Westridge School), Princess Simone Ball (Arcadia High School), Princess Saniyah Brunston (John Muir High School), Princes Lara Georgian (Mayfield Senior school), Princess Kate Kelly (La Canada High School), Princess Lisette Parker (Maranatha High School), and Princess Natalia Pradhan (Flintridge Preparatory School).


Attendance

More recent attendance figures are followed by the TV and predicted attendance in parentheses. Most estimates are conducted by the Tournament of Roses and the Pasadena Police Department. A number of studies were conducted by the Anderson School of Management at
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on attendance and economic impact to Southern California. The ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' ran a study in 1980 that said the actual attendance at the parade was actually about 60% of what is claimed each year. * 1890 – 2,000 * 2002 – 800,000 (1,000,000; drop blamed on the
September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
) * 2004 – 1,000,000 * 2009 – 700,000 (Pasadena had 1,000,000 visitors during the week of the parade) * 2011 – 700,000 * 2012 – 700,000 (with an estimated 70 million watching worldwide on television) * 2013 – 700,000 * 2022 – 700,000 * 2024 – (750,000)


Broadcast

The Rose Parade is televised on ABC,
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
,
Univision Univision () is an American Spanish-language terrestrial television, free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. It is the United States' largest provider of Spanish-language content. The network's programming is aimed at the L ...
(in Spanish),
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, Sky Link TV (in Mandarin and Cantonese),
Hallmark Channel Hallmark Channel is an American cable television network owned by Hallmark Media, a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards. The channel broadcasts family-oriented general entertainment programming, including television series and made-for-TV movies. ...
, RFD TV, and
KTLA KTLA (channel 5) is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast flagship station of The CW. It is the largest directly owned property of the network's majority owner, Nexstar Media Group, and is ...
(the latter three offer interruption-free coverage, although KTLA continues to repeat the parade throughout the day with commercials, and starting 2020 it has been livestreamed on its YouTube page).
WGN-TV WGN-TV (channel 9) is a television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States, serving as the local outlet for The CW. It is owned and operated by the network's majority owner, Nexstar Media Group, and is sister station, sister to the company ...
in Chicago carried KTLA's uninterrupted coverage of the 2009 parade (WGN and KTLA have historically been sister stations via former owner
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; both are now owned by
Nexstar Media Group Nexstar Media Group, Inc. is an American publicly traded media company with headquarters in Irving, Texas, Midtown Manhattan, and Chicago. The company is the largest television station owner in the United States, owning 197 television station ...
). Until 2005, the parade was also broadcast on CBS, and
KTTV KTTV (channel 11) is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast of the United States, West Coast flagship (broadcasting), flagship station of the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox network. It is owned a ...
also televised the parade from the station's sign-on in 1949 until 1995. ABC serves as the official broadcaster of the parade, and its sister network
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
currently airs the Rose Bowl (which formerly aired on ABC). * The 1947 parade was the first to be televised (on KTLA). However, reportedly experimental station W6XAO (now
KCBS-TV KCBS-TV (channel 2), branded CBS Los Angeles, is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast of the United States, West Coast flagship station of the CBS network. It is owned and operated by the n ...
) broadcast the 1940 parade. * The 1954 parade was also the first program televised in the
NTSC NTSC (from National Television System Committee) is the first American standard for analog television, published and adopted in 1941. In 1961, it was assigned the designation System M. It is also known as EIA standard 170. In 1953, a second ...
color television Color television (American English) or colour television (British English) is a television transmission technology that also includes color information for the picture, so the video image can be displayed in color on the television set. It improv ...
format nationwide on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
. * The 1967 parade was broadcast for the first time in Spanish on
KMEX-DT KMEX-DT (channel 34) is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast flagship station of the Spanish-language network Univision. It is owned and operated by TelevisaUnivision alongside Ontario, C ...
to the Los Angeles area. * The 1987 parade was broadcast in Spanish on
Univision Univision () is an American Spanish-language terrestrial television, free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. It is the United States' largest provider of Spanish-language content. The network's programming is aimed at the L ...
nationwide. * The 1985 parade was nominated for the Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Special Class Program, with the producers at CBS, as well as co-hosts Bob Barker and
Joan Van Ark Joan Martha Van Ark (born June 16, 1943) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Valene Ewing on the primetime soap opera ''Knots Landing.'' A life member of The Actors Studio, she made her Broadway debut in 1966 in '' Barefo ...
, attached as the potential recipients if the broadcast had won. * The 1989 parade was broadcast in 3D on KTTV. * The 1999 parade was first broadcast in high definition television (HDTV) on KTLA. * The 2004 parade was first time aired in Chinese Mandarin language on Chinese TV station: Sky Link TV. * The 2009 Parade was broadcast to 217 countries (79 countries live) in over 20 languages. * The Tournament of Roses website had approximately 13 million hits during the week of the 2009 parade. * The website was viewed in 150 countries. * The 2010 Parade was watched via TV in 127 countries including China. * The 2011 Parade had a total television reach of approximately 47 million television viewers in the U.S. and was seen by approximately 28 million viewers internationally. * The 2013 Parade was also streamed on
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via both their
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(U.S.) and Live Event Player (all other countries) applications. * In 2018 and 2019, Funny or Die partnered with
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to produce a comedic broadcast of the parade, starring
Will Ferrell John William Ferrell (; born July 16, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is known for his leading man roles in comedy films and for his work as a television producer. Ferrell received various accolades, including ...
and Molly Shannon as the characters of Cord Hosenbeck and Tish Cattigan—who were claimed to have been local newscasters for 25 years. The 2018 broadcast was nominated at the WGA Awards for Best Comedy/Variety Special. * Since there was no parade in 2021, a TV special “Rose Parade’s New Year Celebration presented by Honda” was aired, including highlights from past parades. * The official Rose Parade YouTube channel debuted its own livestream of the parade for 2024, countering with KTLA's simulcast. * 10.5 million viewers watched the Rose Parade on NBC and ABC in 2024, with the two networks roughly equally dividing the audience. Combined, the audience ranked in fifth place among television specials in 2024.


Volunteers


Leadership

Each year, the newly elected Tournament of Roses President is responsible for selecting the year's theme and grand marshal. Preparation and construction of the floral floats theoretically begins after the theme is announced. The selection of marching bands is already well under way except for Rose Bowl Game college bands. In 2005, Libby Evans Wright was elected as the first female president of the Association. The Pasadena Tournament of Roses appointed former ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' executive P. Scott McKibben as its executive director in 2010, replacing John M. (Mitch) Dorger, who had served as CEO since 2000. On September 8, 2011, he resigned for personal reasons. Chief Operating Officer William B. Flinn was named interim executive director. From March 1, 2012, to January 2, 2017, William B. Flinn took over the role of Executive Director. David Eads became the Executive Director in 2017.


Operations and the parade

The Tournament of Roses has become such a large event that it requires 65,000 hours of combined
manpower Human resources (HR) is the set of people who make up the workforce of an organization, business sector, industry, or economy. A narrower concept is human capital, the knowledge and skills which the individuals command. Similar terms include ...
each year, or the equivalent of roughly 7.42 years of combined manpower. The group has 935 members, each of whom is assigned to one of 34 committees, and around 50 student ambassadors. Responsibilities include: * Selecting Parade participants * Inspecting and testing floats for safe and reliable operation * Assembling the parade elements * Conducting the parade through the streets of Pasadena * Directing visitors on New Year's Day * Assisting the public and the media in viewing the parade * Giving presentations about the Tournament to community groups * Supervising elements of the Rose Bowl Game (and also the BCS National Championship Game when held in Pasadena) During the Parade, many Tournament members are required to wear white suits with red ties, name tags, membership pins and official ribbons. Because of this, the volunteers are commonly referred to as "White Suiters." In December each year, a fleet of white vehicles with special "ToR"
license plates A vehicle registration plate, also known as a number plate (British, Indian and Australian English), license plate (American English) or licence plate (Canadian English), is a metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for ...
are seen throughout the
San Gabriel Valley The San Gabriel Valley (), sometimes referred to by its initials as SGV, is one of the principal valleys of Southern California, with the city of Los Angeles directly bordering it to the west and occupying the vast majority of the southeastern ...
. The use of these cars is currently donated by American Honda for use by high-ranking Tournament members. Each year, an honor troop of Eagle Scouts from the San Gabriel Valley Council, (now GLAAC), and "The Tournament Troop" of Girl Scout Gold Award recipients of the Arcadia Service Unit of the Girl Scouts Greater Los Angeles, is selected to carry the parade banners down the route. Each year, for the last 35 years, more than 100 scouts have participated. The ''Tournament of Roses Radio Amateurs'' (TORRA) provided audio communications and video co-ordination for the parade officials through the use of
Amateur radio Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, is the use of the radio frequency radio spectrum, spectrum for purposes of non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, private recreation, radiosport, contesting, and emer ...
from 1968 until 2005. With over 300 ham radio operators in TORRA there were several ham radio sites along the parade route equipped with
amateur television Amateur television (ATV) is the transmission of broadcast quality video and sound reproduction, audio over the wide range of frequencies of radio waves allocated for radio amateur (ham) use. ATV is used for non-commercial experimentation, pleasure ...
as well as 2-way ham radios. Several mobile units – including motorcycles and pedestrian units (creepie-peepies) provided the video coverage. With modern technology and cell phone service, TORRA was no longer needed. Thousands more volunteers help cover the floats in those beautiful flower and seed mixes during "Deco week," Dec 26- parade day. Many of these come back year after year, some even camp nearby to help all week long.


Weather

For the 2006 Tournament of Roses Parade on January 2 (it is always held on January 2 when January 1 falls on a Sunday) winds with gusts up to and five
inch The inch (symbol: in or prime (symbol), ) is a Units of measurement, unit of length in the imperial units, British Imperial and the United States customary units, United States customary System of measurement, systems of measurement. It is eq ...
es (130 mm) of rain in the Pasadena area were predicted. The forecast proved accurate, ruining the 51 year record of good weather for the parade. It rained continuously and heavily throughout the entire 2006 parade. The President of the Tournament, the Grand Marshal of the Parade and the executive committee, deliberated into the early morning at the Tournament House. With street rumors circulating of the parade being canceled or postponed and restlessness of the crowd further east along the parade route, the parade got underway despite the bleak weather. Low television ratings and poor attendance plagued the ceremony. Some floats sustained water damage by the end of the parade.


The "Never on Sunday" Rule

The 1893 parade was the first parade to fall on a Sunday. The parade organizers decided that the parade might spook the horses outside of the churches along the parade route and disrupt the services. The "Never on Sunday" rule was instituted and has been in place ever since: if January 1 falls on a Sunday, the parade is shifted to the 2nd. There are conflicting reports on the number of times this has happened. Several articles say that 2017 (the latest occurrence) was the 15th time. However, the correct answer seems to be that the 2023 parade was the 20th time this has happened with the years being 1893, 1899, 1905, 1911, 1922, 1928, 1933, 1939, 1950, 1956, 1961, 1967, 1978, 1984, 1989, 1995, 2006, 2012, 2017, and 2023.


Related events

* Grand Marshal announcement * Rose Court Interviews * Royal Ball * Rose Queen Announcement and Coronation Ceremony * Selection Sunday * Rose Bowl game teams' Welcome Day,
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* Lawry's Beef Bowl * Decorating Places (for float viewing), various "barns" * Equestfest, Los Angeles Equestrian Center * Bandfest,
Pasadena City College Pasadena City College (PCC) is a Public college, public community college in Pasadena, California. It was founded in 1924 as Pasadena Junior College. History Pasadena City College was founded in 1924 as Pasadena Junior College. It originally o ...
* Rose Bowl Hall of Fame Ceremony, Rose Bowl * Rose Bowl Game Public Tailgate *
Rose Bowl Game The Rose Bowl Game is an annual American college football bowl game, traditionally played on January 1 (New Year's Day) at the Rose Bowl (stadium), Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on ...
* Floatfest (for float viewing), also known as Post Parade, Washington and Sierra Madre Boulevards, adjacent to Pasadena High School.


Notes

* 1 January 1942 – First parade cancellation, caused by
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. * 1 January 1943 – Second parade cancellation, caused by World War II. * 1 January 1945 – Third parade cancellation, caused by World War II. * 3 January 2002 – Tournament of Roses hosted the first BCS National Championship where
Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
defeated
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, 37–14, and the Parade and the
Rose Bowl Game The Rose Bowl Game is an annual American college football bowl game, traditionally played on January 1 (New Year's Day) at the Rose Bowl (stadium), Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on ...
were held on separate days * The animated 2007 film ''
Bee Movie ''Bee Movie'' is a 2007 American animated comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and Columbus 81 Productions, and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Directed by Simon J. Smith and Steve Hickner from a screenplay by the writing team o ...
'' featured the Tournament of Roses. * 1 January 2014 – The first same-sex marriage at the parade was held, for Aubrey Loots and Danny LeClair. * 1 January 2019 – The parade was delayed near the end of the two-hour broadcast by
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
and ABC when the float commemorating the 150th anniversary of the
First transcontinental railroad America's first transcontinental railroad (known originally as the "Pacific Railroad" and later as the "Overland Route (Union Pacific Railroad), Overland Route") was a continuous railroad line built between 1863 and 1869 that connected the exis ...
with the placing of the
Golden Spike The golden spike (also known as the last spike) is the ceremonial 17.6-Carat (purity), karat gold final Rail spike, spike driven by Leland Stanford to join the rails of the first transcontinental railroad across the United States connecting t ...
, entitled "Harmony Through Union", suffered a minor fire and blocked the parade route. The volunteers on board were able to evacuate safely, and the float was secured by LASD deputies and Pasadena police until it could be moved to allow the parade to resume, being able to still finish the parade while being towed. *1 January 2021 – Fourth parade cancellation, caused by
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. First cancellation in 76 years. *2 January 2023 – Singer
Tanya Tucker Tanya Denise Tucker (born October 10, 1958) is an American country music singer and songwriter who had her first hit, "Delta Dawn", in 1972 at the age of 13. During her career Tucker became one of the few child performers to mature into adulthood ...
performed “Ready as I’ll Never Be” as the parade's grand finale.


References


External links


Tournament of Roses Parade official site

The Rose Diaries
*
Rose Parade 2017, Pasadena, CaliforniaRose Parade float, 1936
at the
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections,
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,
University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...
. {{Authority control 01 Events in Pasadena, California Annual events in Los Angeles County, California Rose Parade Flower festivals in the United States New Year in the United States Rose Parade American annual television specials New Year's television specials Rose Parade 1890 establishments in California Recurring events established in 1890 Annual events in California Tourist attractions in Pasadena, California