Rose Parade, Pasadena CA

FRI., DEC 27, 2024 thru THUR., JAN 2, 2025

As you all know, I’m over a year behind on the blog. However, I’m jumping ahead to this, more current, blog post because the Rose Parade occurred January 2025 so it’s somewhat timely, and who wants to read about the Rose Parade in July! The story begins…

Generally speaking I’m not a bucket list person – too much pressure for me. But Gary and I did have one thing on our imaginary bucket list – to attend the Tournament of Roses Parade in person in Pasadena on New Year’s Day. For years we’ve watched the parade from our couch at home. New Year’s 2025 was when we finally made it to Pasadena to watch the parade in person! But that was just one small part of the whole adventure. We decided to rely on experts, so in March of 2024 we signed up with the Escapees RV Club Rose Parade HOP (Head Out Program) for a behind-the-scenes week-long experience.

We arrived at Valencia Travel Village in Castaic, CA on Friday, Dec. 27th, 2024. It was a super windy drive thru the mountain pass after completing a 2-month stay in Indio, CA. Indio is about 30 minutes outside of Palm Springs and the area is known for high winds, thus the reason for so many wind turbines in this area. The wind actually lifted up the corn hole boards in the back of the pickup. First time ever! We had to stop in a rest area and tie them down. 

Our group of 50 took up a good swath of the temporary sites in the campground. Others in the campground are full-time residents living in their RVs. Housing is expensive in California. Families have to figure out how to make it work for them… living in RVs is more affordable. 

This evening was our first meet-and-greet and catered dinner. Many of the 50 in our group are full-time RVers, but not all, and some are native Californians who have never seen the parade in person. After introducing ourselves, our hosts (lovely couple) shared announcements preparing us for the next day. Then we chatted with each other, enjoyed a delicious catered dinner, and chatted some more. This “formula” repeated itself every night for the next week. Our hosts shared announcements about what to expect for the following day and then we were able to visit with each other and enjoy delicious meals that we didn’t have to cook! No one likes to talk travel more than other RVers! We shared tips, common experiences, where we’re headed next, and we’re sympathetic to each others mishaps and mistakes!

Tomorrow we get to help decorate the floats. So cool! Beyond excited even with the 7:30 AM departure time! Thankfully we just have to hop on a bus. 

Saturday, December 28, 2024, dawned bright and early. As requested, we boarded the bus at 7:30 AM. Float Decoration was today’s mission! Organized chaos is the best way to describe it! We got to our destination in Pasadena at about 8:30 AM to AEC (Artistic Entertainment Services), one of the three float decorators being used by the Tournament of Roses Parade. We were quickly herded to a water station where we were tasked with filling individual rose vials with water… for hours… and trying not to spray each other in the face in the process. We were all soaked at the end. A hoot! We were told by our handler that 255,000 vials needed to be filled with water to hold individual flowers including roses, irises, etc. And that was just for the 13 floats this particular company was building and decorating. There were 39 floats in total in this year’s Rose Parade. Part of our group then had to stick the vials in styrofoam. While we “fillers” got drenched with water, the others got little pieces of styrofoam stuck on their hair and clothing. Float decorating is hard work… not as glamorous as you might think. It takes 3 months from start to finish to build a float. And it takes 60 people working 10 hours a day for 10 days to decorate one float. 

We had a few folks join us at our water station that were not part of our group. One was a Filipino woman who was here with friends. This was her 3rd day of volunteering. Tomorrow she goes back to her “real job.” She did whatever was asked of her with a smile and she was very helpful to all of us. Typically volunteers work in 4-hour shifts. Then there was a young man who was also at our water filling station. Last year he had volunteered closer to the parade deadline and was tapped to work several additional hours to help wrap things up. It’s just amazing that this whole thing happens year after year. Wow. 

After working, we got a tour of one of the large warehouses where 13 of the floats are being built. Scaffolding was everywhere. Glad we didn’t have that job. No harnesses, just people balanced on scaffolding and ladders doing their thing. A hive of activity! We saw cactus pads, apricots, cranberries, limes, potatoes, seaweed, and leaves all out in the sun drying with glue stock on some getting ready for the floats. 

Every square inch of the floats must be adorned with flowers or other natural materials like leaves, seeds or bark. There are 21 different prizes awarded for the floats. The judging occurs 2pm on Dec. 31st, the day before the parade. There’s a “road show” for the judges where all the floats are on the street for them to judge.

We finally boarded the bus and headed back to our respective tiny homes for a few hours before it was time for announcements and another delicious dinner. The evening was capped off with a beautiful sunset and a fortuitous sighting of the launch of a Space X Falcon 9 Rocket from nearby Vandenberg Space Force Base. Big wow on that one! 

A memorable day… and humbling… to realize how many thousands of individuals donate their time and talent to this iconic American event that happens every New Year’s.

On Sunday, December 29th, 2024 we boarded the bus at 9:15 and headed to Equestfest to watch a 2-hour show featuring some of the 16 equestrian groups that will be featured in the Rose Parade. A-mazing! We also got to walk amongst the vendors, watch some of the equestrian groups rehearsing, and see where the horses and riders were camped in a hodgepodge of trailers and campers on the grounds. A whole subculture and family onto themselves. Performing were several women’s drill teams, the U.S. Marine Corp Mounted Color Guard, Trick Ropers, Arabian Horse riders, a Mexican Charro Team, the L.A. County Sheriff’s Dept., Dressage riders, and many others. Below are photos and a short 1-minute video of some of the highlights! Be sure to have sound on for the full experience.

We boarded the bus at 7AM on a foggy morning on Monday, Dec. 30th, 2024 to head to Bandfest being held at Pasadena City College. Bandfest allows the 20 marching bands in this year’s Rose Parade the opportunity to showcase their talents. Our 2-hour outdoor show featured bands from Illinois, Mexico, Denmark, the Univ. of Wyoming and various high schools across California. These young people were beyond impressive… many spent over 630 hours on rehearsals and performance practice. Unbelievable. Three 2-hour performances are performed over a 2-day period allowing each of the bands to perform at least once. 

The audience was part of the 30-minute “Pre-show.” Upon entering the stadium we were all given drums. To showcase the difference between Gary and I… a college student asks “Would you like a drum?” I say “How Cool!” Gary’s response is “No Thanks.” Lol. Once we were all seated, we were guided by the Master of Ceremonies to drum and sing when prompted. So fun! 

It boggles our mind that these young people will have to carry those heavy instruments, playing and performing and walking for 5.5 miles on New Year’s Day… not to mention all the time standing and waiting around for the parade to start. 

Below are photos and a short video of some of the highlights of Bandfest! 

Tuesday, Dec. 31st was New Year’s Eve day and a free day. We were on our own until the evening festivities at the clubhouse. Our original plan was to visit the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum, but we opted for a chill day instead! We stayed in our tiny home and caught up with friends and family via phone, worked on a few videos and relaxed.

At 5:30 pm we all convened in the clubhouse for announcements about tomorrow’s big day… the actual Rose Parade… what we’re all here for! Once again we enjoyed a delicious catered dinner, shared some wine with new friends, and enjoyed some Karaoke. Then we played a few rounds of Mexican Train with Dawn and Steve. They are full-timers as well. Steve is retired Coast Guard. He’s a big Ohio Buckeyes fan, and Ohio is playing in the Rose Bowl against Oregon. Fitting that Dawn and Steve are attending this year’s Rose Parade. We had a fun evening with them but then all too soon it was time to call it a night as we’re all boarding the bus at 4:30am to get us to the Rose Parade tomorrow morning. Oy. That’s early! 

The big day! New Year’s Day 2025! We were up at 3 AM to catch the bus at 4:30. We were in our seats at 6:30 to watch the Rose Parade. It was hopping at that hour of the morning! Sausages were being sold by vendors at that hour! Our seats were about a block from the start of the parade… just around the first corner on Colorado Blvd. Local news outlets were behind us. 

To be completely honest when we signed up for this week-long experience, I was more excited about all the behind-the-scenes events and activities than attending the actual parade itself. All those people. Whoa. Kinda scary to think parade attendance is typically around 800,000. That’s a lotta people!

BUT being there was the coolest thing ever… the energy from the crowd; all the camera crews; a stealth bomber flying overhead for gosh sakes… WOW; being soooo close to those incredibly beautiful HUGE floats and knowing how many volunteer hours poured into them made me tear up. Lastly seeing the 20 marching bands perform their awe-inspiring routines knowing they have to walk 5.5 miles with those heavy instruments and hearing their parents all around us cheering for their kids and their schools, well it makes your heart sing. The historic vehicles and beautiful horses including the Clydesdales were just icing on the cake. 

One of my favorite moments was when the pooper scoopers (in their official white Rose Parade uniforms) go out into the street and scoop up the horse poo. The crowd cheers wildly for them and they justifiably take bows. Hysterical!! 

I will say those were the tightest bleacher seats we’ve ever sat in. It made for cozy neighbors. Our knees were practically up against the backs of the person in front of us. You end up helping to unzip the back pack of the person in front of you. And if someone has to scoot into your row. Well, that’s a whole other thing. You end up climbing up on your bleacher with the help of those around you, while the person walks into your row. Neighbors helping neighbors hold each other and stay upright and not topple over. So much fun and such wonderful camaraderie. Everyone was very well behaved and stayed seated during the parade so everyone could see below. There were moments when the “action” stopped below and people stood up to stretch legs. But as soon as floats and people started moving again it was time to sit down. And if you “forgot” to sit down, you’d be heckled from behind! All of the volunteers are so friendly. They truly love this event. 

Once the parade ended, it was time for us to head back to the buses. We thought we’d have a long wait to leave the parking lot, but we were on the road in no time and back to our tiny homes for nap time! Dinner was thankfully on our own so everyone could chill for the rest of the day. We had actually recorded the parade so were able to watch it in the afternoon! Cool to see it again after being there in person. 

Below is a 3.5 minute video of our morning at the Rose Parade.

This entire week has been outstanding. Thursday, Jan. 2nd, 2025, was Floatfest and the last of our Rose Parade events. We were able to walk amongst all 37 floats lined up on Pasadena school grounds. We could ask questions and take photos. Fascinating to see up close all the plant and natural materials being used on the floats. We saw blueberries, cranberries, Brussel sprouts, apricots, jalapeño peppers, onions, rice, ground coffee, green and black seaweed, button mums, irises, poppy seeds, navy beans, kidney beans, large white potatoes, and fingerling potatoes all being used in these floats… just to name a few! 

Our first float we came across was the U.S. Army float. A few young men were there answering questions. They were part of the Old Guard and dressed in the Revolutionary War uniform. One young man told us he had walked 2 hours in the parade, but had stood for hours before-and-after the parade. He was re-enlisting for another 4 years and was headed to somewheres in the Carolinas in February but would no longer be part of the Old Guard, although he said he had loved the experience.

Some stats:

• The parade travels 5.5 miles down Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena CA.

• Approx. 800,000 to 1.2 million people attend each Tournament of Roses Parade, and all must fit within a 5.5 mile radius. 

• The parade features four types of entries: floral-decorated floats, equestrian units, bands, and Tournament entries (vehicles carrying distinguished individuals). 

• Roses must appear on every single float. That means more than 10 million roses are used. Each rose is placed in a vial and that vial gets recycled and re-used the next year. The vials and stoppers cost more than the roses themselves.

• Every inch of the floats must be covered in natural materials, such as flowers, seeds, leaves, and bark. The materials are organic and cannot be dyed or colored. Eight different types of glue are used to hold the materials in place.

• The floats are state-of-the-art technology, with everything tucked away beneath flowers and other al-natural materials. 

• The cost of a float starts near $275,000 and goes up depending on their sophistication, the degree of animation and the variety of floral materials.

• It takes 60 people working 10 hours a day for 10 days to decorate one float. Some of the less expensive floats rely almost completely on volunteers. One person working for a non-profit told us that they started applying the dry materials to their float the day after Thanksgiving.

• People ask what happens to the floats after January 1st… some flowers will be removed from the floats and donated to area hospitals, town floats will be on display in their respective towns for awhile and still others will end up as compost. 

• Each year, 80,000 hours of service are supplied by 935 volunteer members of the Tournament of Roses Association called “White Suiters” because of their all-white suits. There are 31 operating committees. Not to mention the thousands of additional individuals, families, groups and organizations that donate time… like our RV group that had 50 people filling water vials for 3+ hours. 

This year’s Rose Parade Theme was “Best Day Ever!” They will announce the 2026 Rose Parade theme by early February. Then contracts will be signed and new floats will start being designed and the process begins anew. Just remarkable! This was the 136th Tournament of Roses Parade. Here’s hoping it runs for another 136 years!

Tonight was our Farewell Dinner and tomorrow we’re all off to varying new locations. It has been a fabulous week!  One bucket list item enthusiastically checked! 

We loved this robot hanging out by the U.S. Army float!