The Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade is a magical event that draws families and Rose Bowl fans from across the country to visit the Pacific Coast during the New Year’s holiday season. The Los Angeles area is one of the best places to visit during the winter months and there are numerous Rose Bowl related events taking place while you’re in town! If you’re planning to head west for the Rose Parade to ring in the New Year, here’s some helpful information to make the “Just Imagine…”-themed Rose Bowl Parade an event to remember.
grand marshal
Each year, the president of the Tournament of Roses gives one person (or sometimes a group of people) the high honor of being the Grand Marshal of the Tournament of Roses Parade. There have been presidents, actors, senators, generals, and even cartoon characters who have held the high honor of Grand Marshal. Past Grand Marshals include Dwight D. Eisenhower, Walt Disney, the Apollo 12 astronauts, Mickey Mouse, and Shirley Temple! The 2012 Grand Marshal will be chosen in October and this year Rose Parade enthusiasts have taken to social media to announce their preferred candidate; check out the “Betty White For Grand Marshall Of The 2012 Rose Parade” Facebook Page.
rose bowl floats
In the late 19th century, when the Rose Bowl Parade began, the carriages and horses were covered in roses by volunteers; now the vast majority of floats are created by professional float construction companies. The cost of individual Rose Parade floats ranges from $50,000 to half a million dollars and many of the more elaborate floats take an entire year to build due to the complexity of their mechanics. The Rose Bowl has a very important rule for all floats created for the parade: the entire surface of the float must be covered in natural materials such as flowers, seeds, and greenery. You can’t even use color dye on live flowers! Seeing the floats in person is a truly amazing experience, especially once you see the details of individually placed seeds, flowers, bark, and nuts that cover the entire surface of these living floats.
Float and Rose Bowl Viewing Packages
There are exclusive Rose Parade tours offered by a long-standing Rose Bowl tour operator that can take participants to the Rose Parade Pavilion prior to the event. This gives special attendees an exclusive pre-parade look at float construction during the final days and hours before the parade! What a great experience to see the making of these magnificent live floats in person. After the parade, the floats are displayed near Victory Park at the end of the parade route. It gives Rose Bowl attendees a great opportunity to inspect the Rose Bowl Parades up close and personal.
Rose Parade Float Awards
Each year, the Rose Parade has judges who are accomplished in the field of floral design. These judges have proven to be the best master florists in the industry. For example, in 2011, Nancy Clarke was one of three head judges, and her resume includes 30 years as a White House Master Florist creating exquisite arrangements for US Presidents and First Ladies! By 2012, parade viewers will too! will be able to vote via text message for their favorite floats! The Rose Parade Float Awards include a Viewer’s Choice Award, so be sure to text or visit the website to vote for your favorite!
