Roses Parade Tickets
Roses Parade Tickets
The Rose Parade is the biggest New Year’s celebration in Pasadena. If you want to welcome 2017 with fun and frolic, Pasadena is the place to be at. The Parade is held either on New Year’s Day or January 2 (only if New Year’s Day is a Sunday). An ideal fun event for the whole family, the Rose Parade is known for its equestrian units, floats and marching bands. The Rose Bowl comes after that. The Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association, a nonprofit organization is responsible for producing the parade. So make this year’s New Year’s celebrations extra special for your family, by getting your Roses Parade tickets now.
The Rose Parade is more than a century old tradition, which is watched by hundreds of thousands of people each year. If you haven’t been to the Rose Parade before, it is an experience worth having.
History of The Rose Parade
There’s a local saying about the Rose Parade: "the Tournament has a deal with God; we'll never hold the parade on a Sunday, and He'll never let it rain on the Rose Parade." Whatever the veracity, it can be said with certainty that this tradition started in 1890. It was the Pasadena Valley Hunt Club members that first organized this event.
The event has been held ever since, without exception. The Parade, however, it is worth mentioning, Sunday is yet to hold the parade and accordingly the Rose Bowl encounter, too, has never been played on Sunday. This has less to do with a covenant with God than with ensuring that the Rose Bowl does not clash with an NFL game.
A Quintessential California Event
The Rose Parade has everything to do with California’s weather and geography. Interestingly, those who started this event, the Pasadena Valley Hunt Club members, were originally from the Midwest or East. They wanted to celebrate California’s glorious weather.
19th Century Rose Parade
In its formative phase, the Rose Parade was marked by floats covered full of flowers, polo matches, foot races, and a tug of war game. Attendance was in the couple of thousands. The Rose Parade also came to be known as “Tournament of Roses” – a name given to it by Professor Holder when he saw the floats.
20th Century Rose Parade
In the following years, motorized floats replaced horse-drawn carriages and marching bands were added to the lineup. The event grew quickly and therefore the Pasadena’s Valley Hunt Club formed the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association. To attract more crowds, further additions were made to the lineup such as animal races. For better viewing, stands were erected on the side of the Parade course which gave the entire event a very special look.
The First Rose Bowl
The football game is considered as the first Rose Bowl was held on January 1 in the year 1902. Interestingly, it was the only football game for the next 14 years, as the second Rose Bowl wasn’t played till New Year’s Day 1916. However, the Rose Bowl has been a permanent feature ever since.
Echoes of Success
This is this year’s Rose Parade theme. Once the Parade is over, the President of the Tournament of Roses announces a theme of the upcoming festivities. The floral floats are designed according to the announced theme.
Echoes of Success is 2016 theme. The 2016 Rose Parade floral floats will exhibit this theme and therefore this is one more reason to take your family to this annual event. With Roses Parade tickets in hand, you will be part of an age-old Californian tradition, which has been enjoyed by millions, ever since it started in 1890. At the end of the Parade, the newly elected President of the Tournament of Roses will announce the theme for 2017. So don’t miss out on that.
Another Tradition
An age-old tradition of the Parade is the selection of the Grand Marshal. Each year, a new Grand Marshal is selected by the President of the Tournament. Some of the famous Grand Marshals were: Bon Hope, Shirley Temple, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard Nixon and others. Ken Burns is the current Grand Marshal.
The latest edition of this amazing event is now just around the corner and it promises to be another unforgettable show. Be a part of the occasion by booking your Roses Parade tickets.