The Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena
Tips and ideas for viewing the Tournament of Roses.
For well over 100 years, the Tournament of Roses has been a New Year's Day tradition in Pasadena. The Rose Bowl Parade is on TV, but to be there is even more exciting.
Pasadena has many fun attractions. There's the botanical gardens, the Norton Simon Museum, Old Town Pasadena, and many more child-friendly family activities. The biggest annual event in Pasadena is one of the most famous parades in the world, the Tournament of Roses, or Rose Bowl Parade. If part of your New Year travel plans include coming to Pasadena to see the Rose Bowl Parade in person, you and your family might benefits from some tips and ideas regarding how to best view the parade.
Tournament of Roses Viewing Tips and Ideas
- Pasadena has great winter weather. In fact, the Rose Bowl Parade has never been canceled due to rain, and the only heavy rainfall during the parade was in 2006. Odds are that the weather will be balmy on New Year's Day. Bring an easily-removed outer layer if you arrive early; it'll be warm and sunny soon enough (don't forget to check the local weather listings, of course).
- Don't bother arriving too early; the whole area is sealed off the day before. It's a good idea to "save a spot" for you and your family starting at noon on December 31st.
- The Tournament of Roses Parade follows the same route every year: Starting on Ellis St., it heads north on S. Orange Grove Blvd., then east on Colorado Blvd, north (left turn) on Sierra Madre Blvd., and ending at Paloma Street.
- The best place to view the Rose Bowl Parade is early on its route. This is also where the T.V. cameras are, so you're most likely to see some stars and "dignitaries" being interviewed. I like the corner of Orange Grove and Colorado; grandstand tickets for this spot are the most expensive, but if you like great views of great parades, it's worth it.
- Colorado Blvd. is usually the most crowded part of the parade route, as this street is also Pasadena's main thoroughfare. Colorado Blvd. takes up the bulk of the parade route.
- Here's a useful tip for people who are light-sensitive: If you can, sit on the west side of the streets on the Tournament of Roses parade route. That way, the sun won't get in your eyes.
- The Rose Bowl Parade lasts around 2 and a half hours, start to finish. Afterwards, the floats go to nearby Victory Park, where you and your family can get a close up look at the millions of flowers, and hear about all the hours of work that went into preparing each float for the parade. No rush: The floats stay in Victory Park for a couple of days (there is a per-person fee for this).
- The Rose Bowl Game typically starts a few hours after the parade ends, at around 2:00 PM PST. That gives your family plenty of time to have lunch and recover from the excitement of the Tournament of Roses. Colorado Blvd. has a plethora of restaurants to choose from.
- To buy tickets for the parade, call the Sharp Seating Company at (626) 795-4171 starting February 1st. The more expensive tickets, which provide grandstand seats with the best views of the Rose Bowl Parade, sell out quickly. If the cheaper tickets ($40) also sell out, you can view the parade from the streets instead of the grandstands.
- The Sharp Seating Company also provides reserved parade parking, as does the Easy Parking Service (626) 286-7576, Ace Parking at (626) 577-8963, and Southern California Tickets at (626) 577-2557. Different companies charge different rates. It's a really good idea to buy reserved parking tickets early.
If you have time before the parade to watch the decorations for the parade floats get completed during your visit to Pasadena, I heartily recommend it. The volunteers who decorate each float are so meticulous, yet the floats are so large, that it's really quite impressive up close. The parade floats are arranged at four locations:
Brookside Pavilion (west side of the Rose Bowl Stadium) - 1001 Rose Bowl Drive
Buena Vista Pavilion - 2144 Buena Vista (in nearby Duarte)
Rose Palace - 835 S. Raymond Ave.
Rosemont Pavilion - 700 Seco St.
Celebrating New Year's Day by going to the Tournament of Roses, and the Rose Bowl Game later, is a long-standing Pasadena tradition. Your New Year's trip to Southern California will be enriched by being part of this event. Happy New Year!
Related, on Suite 101:
The Huntington Botanical Gardens
New Year's Eve in Times Square
