Rose Parade

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 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 games in college football. It has been uninterrupted except during World War II in 1942, 1943, and 1945, and in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[1]

First held on January 1, 1890, the Rose Parade is watched by hundreds of thousands of spectators.^[2][3] The Rose Bowl college football game was added in 1902 to help fund the cost of staging the parade.^[4] Since 2011, Honda has been a presenting sponsor of the Rose Parade.^[5] Accordingly, the company has the parade's first float, which like all floats, follows the parade's theme.

History

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Members of Pasadena's Valley Hunt Club first staged the parade in 1890. Since then the parade has been held in Pasadena every New Year's Day, 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.^[6]

Many of the members of the Valley Hunt Club were former residents of the American East and Midwest. 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."

So the club organized horse-drawn carriages covered in flowers, followed by foot races, polo matches, and a game of tug-of-war on the town lot that attracted a crowd of 2,000 to the event. Upon seeing the scores of flowers on display, the professor decided to suggest the name "Tournament of Roses."

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

The stately Italian Renaissance-style mansion of

In 2002 and 2006 (when the Rose Bowl Game was the BCS National Championship Game), 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).

Traditionally, a flyover signals the start of the parade. Since 2019, the parade concludes with a special guest doing the ceremonial pass from the parade to the Rose Bowl.

On July 15, 2020, it was announced that the Rose Parade for 2021 would be canceled due to the

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.[9]

Description

The Tournament of Roses Parade has followed the same route mainly following Colorado Boulevard (Pasadena's main thoroughfare and a segment of the former US 66) for many decades.^[quantify] The day before the parade, the entire environs of the neighborhood streets south of the intersection of Orange Grove Boulevard 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

The 2009 parade featured 46 floats, including some new entries, such as Jack in the Box'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

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, and actress Gina Torres.^[15]

The 2022 parade featured 18 equestrian units, 20 marching bands, and 43 floats in addition to the special units. The grand marshal was actor LeVar Burton.

The 2023 parade's grand marshal was politician Gabby Giffords.^[16]

The 2024 parade's grand marshal was actor and singer Audra McDonald.

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 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".^[17] Floats are self-propelled on (generally used-up) truck chassis^{[citation needed]} in contrast to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 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.

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.^[22]

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,

2011: 22 units –

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's Tournament of Roses Honor Band always marches in the Rose Parade, along with the Los Angeles Unified School District 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:^[23]

• The official Tournament of Roses Honor Band hosted by Pasadena City College consisting of members of the college's Lancer Marching Band and talented high school musicians from throughout California (89th Rose Parade appearance in 2018).^[24]
• The Los Angeles Unified School District All City Honor Band
• The
  Salvation Army 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.^[25]
• The United States Marine Corps West Coast Composite Band

In 1891, the Monrovia 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 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'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.^[26]

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.^[27]

Themes

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.^[33]

As there was no parade in 2021, there was no Grand Marshal that year.

The 2020 Co-Grand Marshals were

The 2019 Grand Marshal was singer Chaka Khan. The 2018 Grand Marshal was Oscar nominee and distinguished humanitarian Gary Sinise. For the 2017 parade, Greg Louganis, Janet Evans and Allyson Felix served as marshals. Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns was selected as the 2016 Grand Marshal.

The 2015 parade Grand Marshal was to be Louis Zamperini.^[34][35] 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."^[36] During the parade, USC mascot Traveler walked in his place, riderless to honor Zamperini.^[37]

Vin Scully was chosen as the Grand Marshal of the 2014 parade and Rose Bowl Game. Previously, President Sally Bixby named Jane Goodall as the Grand Marshal for the 2013 parade, succeeding J. R. Martinez, the 2012 grand marshal.^[38]

• Shirley Temple (1928–2014), 1939, 1989, 1999
• Charles Daggett, 1900, 1901, 1914
• Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969), 1951, 1964 (note that Cpl. Robert S. Gray filled in for him in 1951)
• Bob Hope (1903–2003), 1947, 1969
• Richard Nixon (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 (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

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).[41]

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).^[42]

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.^[43]

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^[44]

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

UCLA on attendance and economic impact to Southern California. The Los Angeles Times ran a study in 1980 that said the actual attendance at the parade was actually about 60% of what is claimed each year.^{[citation needed}

]

• 1890 – 2,000
• 2002 – 800,000 (1,000,000; drop blamed on the September 11 attacks)
• 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

Broadcast

cameraman

for ABC at the 2023 Rose Parade.

The Rose Parade is televised on

RFD TV, and KTLA (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 in Chicago carried KTLA's uninterrupted coverage of the 2009 parade (WGN and KTLA have historically been sister stations via former owner Tribune Media; both are now owned by Nexstar Media Group). Until 2005, the parade was also broadcast on CBS, and KTTV also televised the parade from the station's sign-on in 1949 until 1995. ABC serves as the official broadcaster of the parade^{[citation needed]}, and its sister network ESPN

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) broadcast the 1940 parade.
• The 1954 parade was also the first program televised in the NTSC color television format nationwide on NBC.^[45]
• The 1967 parade was broadcast for the first time in Spanish on KMEX-DT to the Los Angeles area.
• The 1987 parade was broadcast in Spanish on Univision 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, 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
  Live Event Player
  (all other countries) applications.
• In 2018 and 2019,
  WGA Awards for Best Comedy/Variety Special.^{[46][47][48][49]}
• 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.

Volunteers

Leadership

Main article:

Presidents of the Tournament of Roses Association

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 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.^[50] 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 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."

license plates are seen throughout the San Gabriel Valley

. The use of these cars is currently donated by American Honda for use by high-ranking Tournament members.

Eagle Scouts

carrying banner

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 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 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 45 mph (72 km/h) and five

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,^{[citation needed]} 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.^[52]

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.[53]

There are conflicting reports on the number of times this has happened. Several articles say that 2017 (the latest occurrence) was the 15th time.^[54][55]

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.^[56]

Related events

• Grand Marshal announcement
• Rose Court Interviews
• Royal Ball
• Rose Queen
  Announcement and Coronation Ceremony
• Selection Sunday^[57]
• Rose Bowl game teams' Welcome Day, Disneyland Resort
• Lawry's
  Beef Bowl
• Decorating Places (for float viewing), various "barns"
• Equestfest, Los Angeles Equestrian Center
• Bandfest, Pasadena City College
• Rose Bowl Hall of Fame Ceremony, Rose Bowl
• Rose Bowl Game Public Tailgate
• Rose Bowl Game
• Floatfest (for float viewing), also known as Post Parade, Washington and Sierra Madre Boulevards

Notes

• 1 January 1942 – First parade cancellation, caused by World War II.
• 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 defeated Nebraska, 37–14, and the Parade and the Rose Bowl Game
  were held on separate days
• The animated 2007 film Bee Movie featured the Tournament of Roses.
• 1 January 2014 – The first same-sex marriage at the parade was held, for Aubrey Loots and Danny LeClair.^[58]
• 1 January 2019 – The parade was delayed near the end of the two-hour broadcast by
  Golden Spike, 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. First cancellation in 76 years.
• 2 January 2023 – Singer Tanya Tucker performed “Ready as I’ll Never Be” as the parade's grand finale.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rose Parade.

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• Tournament of Roses Parade official site
• The Rose Diaries
• Tournament of Roses Parade at The Interviews: An Oral History of Television
• Rose Parade 2017, Pasadena, California
• Rose Parade float, 1936 at the Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.