Tournament of Roses Parade History:

The Tournament of Roses Parade is best known as the Rose Parade and has been taking place annually on New Years Day since 1890. It is watched by tens of millions on television and hundreds of thousands that line the Parade Route in sunny Pasadena, California every year. The parade is always held on January 1st, except when that date falls on a Sunday.

The parade has followed the same route for many decades. The day before the Parade, the Pasadena neighborhood streets are sealed off and reserved for the massive parade of hundreds of floats and other parade related vehicles. Parade watchers often camp out along side the streets, even in inclement weather.


On parade morning, the parade begins in Pasadena, California. It starts by going north on South Orange Grove Boulevard, beginning at Ellis Street. At Colorado Boulevard it passes the main Television and Media stands and proceeds east. (Colorado Boulevard is Pasadena's main thoroughfare and a segment of the former US 66). The Parade turns north on Sierra Madre Boulevard. On going North, the floats must travel under the Sierra Madre Boulevard./ I-210 freeway overpass, requiring over height floats to collapse to prevent crashing into the overpass. The Parade ends at the Post Parade Area when it crosses Paloma Street.

In total, this route is 5½ miles (9 km) long; the assembled bands, horse units, and floats take approximately 2.5 hours to pass by. After the Parade an exhibition and Post Parade viewing of the floats is conducted.

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