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TheRose Parade, also known as theTournament of Roses Parade (or simply theTournament of Roses), is an annualparade held mostly alongColorado Boulevard inPasadena, California, United States, onNew Year's Day (or on Monday, January 2 if New Year's Day falls on a Sunday).
Produced by the non-profitPasadena Tournament of Roses Association, the parade usually starts at 8:00 a.m.Pacific Time (UTC–8), and includes flower-coveredfloats, marching bands, and equestrian units. The parade is followed in the afternoon by theRose Bowl, one of the majorbowl games incollege football. It has been uninterrupted except duringWorld War II in 1942, 1943, and 1945, and in 2021 due to theCOVID-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.
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Members of Pasadena'sValley Hunt Club first staged the parade in 1890. Since then the parade has been held in Pasadena everyNew 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 AmericanEast andMidwest. They wished to showcase their new California home's mild winter weather. At a club meeting, ProfessorCharles 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 – thePasadena Tournament of Roses Association. By the 11th annual tournament (1900), the town lot on which the activities were held was renamedTournament Park, a large open area directly adjacent to Pasadena's world-famous institution of higher learning,Caltech. 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 inEastern Seaboard cities started to take notice of the event.[7][8][9]
The stately Italian Renaissance-style mansion ofWilliam Wrigley Jr. (the maker ofWrigley'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.[10]
The first associated football game was played on January 1, 1902. Originally titled the "Tournament East-West football game," it is considered to be thefirst 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 fromRose Bowl Stadium, which was built for the 1923 game.
In 2002 and 2006 (when the Rose Bowl Game was theBCS 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).
Since the mid-1990s, a flyover by theNorthrop B-2 Spirit signals the start of the parade to showcase the capabilities of theUnited States Air Force preceded by a musical performance. Since 2019, the parade concludes with a special guest doing the ceremonialforward pass from the parade to theRose Bowl followed by a prerecorded video message by an 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 theCOVID-19 pandemic; 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 ofCOVID-19 infections.[11] 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 titledThe Rose Parade's New Year's Celebration would take the parade's place and premiere on January 1, 2021.[12]
The Tournament of Roses Parade has followed the same route mainly followingColorado Boulevard (Pasadena's main thoroughfare and a segment of the formerUS 66) for many decades.[quantify] The day before the parade, the entire environs of the neighborhood streets south of the intersection ofOrange 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 ofTournament House. The parade starts heading north on South Orange Grove Boulevard beginning at Green Street. AtColorado Boulevard it passes the main grandstands (and the main television and media stands) and proceeds east on Colorado Boulevard. The parade then turns north onSierra Madre Boulevard.[13] 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 andPasadena High School.
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The 2009 parade featured 46 floats, including some new entries, such asJack in the Box'sJack-O-Licious,City of Mission Viejo'sMaking a Splash,RFD-TV'sHee Haw, and theCity of Roseville'sEntertaining Dreams for a Century.
The 2010 parade saluted the men and women servingAmerica throughout the world with aflyover at the beginning of the parade by fourF/A-18 jets (performed by pilots ofStrike Fighter Squadron 22, the "Fighting Redcocks") from the Naval Air Station atLemoore, California).
New floats that joined the 2011 Rose Parade were:Beverly Hills Tournament of Roses Committee,Cunard Line,Dole,Los Angeles County Firemen's Benefit & Welfare: Never Forget 9/11 "Remember, Reflect, Renew",UNO 40th Anniversary, "Messina Wildlife Management",Namco Bandai Games, "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), andRFD-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 fromNurses' float "A Healing Place",Delta Sigma Theta, and the city ofSan Gabriel centennial float "Celebrating Our Journey". It began with theWells Fargo/Opening Unit, AmericanHonda's float, theUnited States Marine Corps's Mounted Color Guard and the U.S. Marine Corps West Coast Composite Band.Farmers Insurance's "Love Float" featured the wedding of aVirginia couple, Nicole and Gerald ofChesapeake, VA. The couple was selected through a first-ever public vote by the American people. The parade's closing unit featuredCoco Jones of theDisney Channel.
Featured in the 2014 parade were 45 floats, including new floats fromeHarmony, K9s4COPS,Public Storage ("Adventures In Space")[14] andSeaWorld. Actor, director, writer, producerGarry Marshall played the role of "director" onBurbank's "Lights...camera...action!" float.KC and the Sunshine Band were featured onStella Rosa Wine's "Stellabrate Good Times" float. Performing on the e-Harmony float wasNatalie Cole, singing"This Will Be".NBC'sThe Voice joined this parade too, along withDaryl Hall and theHarlem Globetrotters. TheAIDS Healthcare Foundation 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.[15]Nancy O'Dell, along withJonathan andDrew Scott (of theProperty Brothers) co-hosted the parade.[16]
The 2015 parade had 41 floats. New participants wereABC'sThe Bachelor,American Armenian Rose Float Association,Kiehl's Since 1851,Northwestern Mutual, UnitedSikh Mission, andZappos.com.
The 2016 parade featured 44 floats, 19 equestrian units, and 20 marching bands. New participants wereLos Angeles Lakers,City of Irvine Chamber of Commerce,South Dakota Tourism, the California Milk Advisory Board,PBS (featuringDownton Abbey), andUnion Bank. It marked the end ofBob Eubanks andStephanie Edwards's participation in the parade for local television stationKTLA. 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."[17]
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 gymnastLaurie Hernández, actress and singerRita Moreno, and actressGina Torres.[18]
The 2022 parade featured 43 floats, 18 equestrian units, and 20 marching bands in addition to the special units. The grand marshal was actorLeVar Burton.
The 2023 parade's grand marshal was politicianGabby Giffords.[19]
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. TheValley Hunt Club still enters a flower-decorated carriage. TheCal 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".[20] Floats are self-propelled on (generally used-up) truck chassis[citation needed] in contrast to theMacy'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 theArroyo 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 Burbank, City of Downey, City of La Canada Flintridge, City of Sierra Madre, and City of South Pasadena. Additionally, there have been a variety of commercial float builders, who, as of 2025, include Artistic Entertainment Services (AES) and Phoenix Decorating Company. Previous professional builders include Fiesta Parade Floats (1988–2024), Paradiso Parade Floats (2012–2018), and Charisma Floats & Designs (1987–2011).
Anaheim city's float at the 2008 Rose Parade included theStanley Cup that theNHL'sAnaheim Ducks had won in 2007, hoisted by playerBrad May. (As the regulations state that the outside of the float must exclusively useorganic material,ABC commentators speculated that the city got an exception to display the Cup.)[21] Also, theLos Angeles Dodgers had a float in celebration of the franchise's 50th anniversary inLos Angeles, with Hall of Fame sportscastersVin Scully andJaime Jarrin as well as former playersSteve Garvey,Fernando Valenzuela,Eric Karros, andNomar Garciaparra.
The 2010 parade floats included theBoy Scouts of America's 100th Anniversary float, theConsulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles in celebration of Mexico's bicentennial of independence, and "Safety Harbor Kids". The 2010 parade also featured a 113-foot-long (34 m) float fromDick Van Patten'sNatural Balance Pet Foods, which set aGuinness world record for the longest single-chassis float. The City ofWest Covina paid tribute to the "service and commitment of theTuskegee Airmen" 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, alsoAnaheim float featured the2010 Major League Baseball All-Star Game that was played atAngel Stadium of Anaheim, four former MLB All-Stars, pitchersMark Langston,Chuck Finley, andTroy Percival, along with second basemanBobby 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 theHonda float featuring Grammy Award-winning musicianKenny G aboard, theLMU Centennial Celebration float,[22] and theGirl Scouts of the USA 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).[23]Paramount Pictures also participated in the 2012 parade with its centennial celebration float "100 Years of Movie Magic".Namco Bandai Games joined the parade for the first time, commemorating thePower Rangers. Others wereMicrosoftKinect ("You are the Controller") and theKit-Cat Klock ("Timeless Fun for Everyone").[24]
The 2018 Rose Parade was the last parade for the city ofLos Angeles after 122 consecutive years sponsoring floats for the Rose Parade. Los Angeles MayorEric Garcetti was aboard the float titled "Everyone is Welcome".
Prior to the parade an "Equestfest" is held at theLos 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'sFirst 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.[25]
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 theLos 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.
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Bands that have a long-standing arrangement to be in the parade include:[26]
In 1891, theMonrovia Town Band was the first musical group to perform in the Rose Parade. In 1998, theWashington Township High School Minutemen Marching Band fromSewell, 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, theArcadia High School Apache Marching Band and Colorguard has appeared for 15 years, returning about every four years. The Allen Eagle Escadrille fromAllen, 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 atPasadena City College'sJackie andMack 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.
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.[29]
On January 19, 2023, Pasadena attorney Alex Aghajanian was confirmed as President of thePasadena 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.[30]
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.
On October 8, 2025,Earvin "Magic" Johnson was named the 2026 Tournament of Roses Grand Marshal.
Billie Jean King was the 2025 Grand Marshal.Gabby Giffords was the Grand Marshal for the 2023 parade withAudra McDonald as the 2024 Grand Marshal. The 2022 Grand Marshal was actorLeVar Burton.[36]
As there was no parade in 2021, there was no Grand Marshal that year.
The 2020 Co-Grand Marshals wereRita Moreno (fromElectric Company),Gina Torres andLaurie Hernández.
The 2019 Grand Marshal was singerChaka Khan. The 2018 Grand Marshal wasOscar nominee and distinguished humanitarianGary Sinise. For the 2017 parade,Greg Louganis,Janet Evans andAllyson Felix served as marshals. Documentary filmmakerKen Burns was selected as the 2016 Grand Marshal.
The 2015 parade Grand Marshal was to beLouis Zamperini.[37][38] 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."[39] During the parade,USC mascotTraveler walked in his place, riderless to honor Zamperini.[40]
Vin Scully was chosen as the Grand Marshal of the 2014 parade and Rose Bowl Game. Previously, President Sally Bixby namedJane Goodall as the Grand Marshal for the 2013 parade, succeedingJ. R. Martinez, the 2012 grand marshal.[41]
Food Network starPaula Deen was theGrand Marshal of the 2011 parade.[42] CaptainChesley Sullenberger was the 2010 Grand Marshal and actressCloris Leachman served as the 2009 Grand Marshal, the 10th female grand marshal in the history of the parade.Mary Pickford was the first female Grand Marshal. Other Hollywood celebrities who appeared as Grand Marshal areLeo Carrillo,Harold Lloyd,Walt Disney,John Wayne,George Lucas, andBob Hope.
Repeat Marshals of the Tournament of Roses Parade
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. ThePasadena Tournament of Roses administers a selection process to determine which greater Pasadena-area young women will have the honor of being crownedQueen of theTournament of Roses, 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 designedfloat in the Rose Parade and will also preside over theRose Bowl Game. The Rose Court will also attend over one hundred events in theSouthern California area as ambassadors of the Tournament of Roses.
Residency for the Rose Queen and Court hopefuls include thePasadena City College district and starting with the 2025 Rose Parade and thereafter, the cities ofAlhambra andSan Gabriel and theLos Angeles neighborhoods of Eagle Rock, Highland Park, Monterey Hills and El Sereno, which are served by theLos Angeles Community College District.
One Tree Hill andChicago P.D. actressSophia Bush was Rose Queen in 2000. 1997 Rose Princess Lisa Remillard is an anchor withSan Diego'sKUSI television station.[43] 1990 Rose Princess Inger Miller won an Olympic Gold Medal as part of the 1996 4x100 Relay Team.
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).[44]
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).[45]
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.[46]
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[47]
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), Princess 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).
The 2026 Rose Court was announced on September 29 and consists of: Rose Queen Serena Hui Guo (Arcadia High School), Princess Naira Elaine Wadley (John Muir High School), Princess Sophia Bai Ren (Arcadia High School); Princess Olivia Hargrove (Pasadena City College); Princess Keiko Rakin (Alhambra High School); Princess Riya Gupta (California Institute of Technology); and Princess Livia Amy de Paula (Temple City High School).
More recent attendance figures are followed by the TV and predicted attendance in parentheses. Most estimates are conducted by the Tournament of Roses and thePasadena Police Department. A number of studies were conducted by theAnderson School of Management atUCLA on attendance and economic impact to Southern California. The attendance figures were the subject of controversy in 1980, after the Pasadena police claimed that over 1.4 million people attended the parade, while other estimates published in thePasadena Star-News and theLos Angeles Times determined that the available space for spectators physically could not accommodate more than 500,000 people.[48]
The Rose Parade is televised onABC,NBC,Univision (in Spanish),HGTV,Sky Link TV (in Mandarin and Cantonese),Hallmark Channel,RFD TV, andKTLA (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 ownerTribune Media; both are now owned byNexstar Media Group). Until 2005, the parade was also broadcast onCBS, andKTTV also televised the parade from the station's sign-on in 1949 until 1995.[49] ABC serves as the official broadcaster of the parade[citation needed], and its sister networkESPN currently airs the Rose Bowl (which formerly aired on ABC).
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 formerLos 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.[56] 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.
The Tournament of Roses has become such a large event that it requires 65,000 hours of combinedmanpower 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:
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."[57] In December each year, a fleet of white vehicles with special "ToR"license plates are seen throughout theSan Gabriel Valley. The use of these cars is currently donated by American Honda for use by high-ranking Tournament members.
Each year, an honor troop ofEagle Scouts from theSan Gabriel Valley Council, (nowGLAAC), and "The Tournament Troop" of Girl ScoutGold 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.
TheTournament of Roses Radio Amateurs (TORRA) provided audio communications and video co-ordination for the parade officials through the use ofAmateur radio from 1968 until 2005. With over 300ham radio operators in TORRA there were severalham radio sites along the parade route equipped withamateur 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.
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 fiveinches (130mm) 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.[58] Low television ratings and poor attendance plagued the ceremony. Some floats sustained water damage by the end of the parade.
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.[59]
There are conflicting reports on the number of times this has happened. Several articles say that 2017 (the latest occurrence) was the 15th time.[60][61]
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.[62]
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