Updated 12/30/24
West Chester University “Incomparable” Golden Rams Marching Band (West Chester, PA), Jan. 1, 2024 (File Photo – Ezekiel Isbell)
Whether you are visiting Pasadena or live in the area, here are 25 facts to know about the 2025 Rose Parade.
By Wafic Khalil
1- The 136th Rose Parade will take place on Wednesday, January 1st, and will have chilly and windy weather (by SoCal standards) compared to last year. (Camping Tips in this report).
2- The Parade’s theme is “Best Day Ever!”
3- The parade floats will arrive on-site before midnight, line up, and then park in the middle of the closed street.
2022 South Pasadena Float (Photo – South Pasadena Tournament of Roses)
4- The line-up will have 39 float entries, 16 equestrian groups and 20 marching bands.
(Lineup is subject to change at the last minute).
5- There will be almost 1,000 “white suiters,” the ones that wear all-white suits and red neckties, fanning out across Pasadena on New Year’s Day making sure the parade goes smoothly. “White suiters” get assigned as overnight float protection keeping cars from entering the float formation area, and will prevent anyone in a car from entering, except for brain surgeons on the way to perform brain surgery!
6- The Tournament of Roses has more than 20 committees (935 members of the non-profit Tournament of Roses Association), each supporting a different element of the parade and the Rose Bowl game.
7- The Tournament takes care of its people. Throughout the long night, a van will come around constantly with coffee, hot chocolate, and snacks.
8- Close to 700,000 people are estimated to attend the Rose Parade, and the celebration will air live on eight networks to more than 56 million viewers. The parade will also be televised in 170 countries, which will attract an additional 28 million viewers.
Carefully sifting through every single flower.
9- In addition to the use of traditional flowers, some floats’ designs will sprout palm tree fiber, kidney beans, orange lentils, crushed sweet rice, and black pepper seed, to name a few.
10- Float liaisons (the ones who ride a white scooter, wear a white helmet, and escort the floats along the route) spend ten Saturday mornings between June and December directing traffic so that floats can safely road-test-their engines and animation effects.
11- As a native Southern Californian, you should never use the word “cold” unless you want to be reprimanded by visitors from the east coast.
12- Ed Morales is the 2025 President and Chairman of the Board for the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association, a key leadership role in overseeing the annual Tournament of Roses events, including the Rose Parade and the Rose Bowl Game.
13- Pasadena Mayor will participate in the 136th Rose Parade, riding a historic Yosemite National Park bus alongside his family and notable local figures, including Terry and Rebecca Crews, Jaime Jarrín, and his family.
Billie Jean King (Photo – TOR)
14- Sports icon and champion for equality Billie Jean King will serve as the Grand Marshal of the 2025 Rose Parade. She will ride in the 136th Rose Parade and join in the pre-game celebration of the 2025 CFP quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl Game.
15- Kiesza and Aloe Blacc will kick off The 136th Rose Parade with Opening Spectacular.
16- The iconic pop sensation Debbie Gibson will headline the Grand Finale of the 2025 Rose Parade
17- The Pasadena Rose Queen for 2025, Lindsay Charles, is a senior at Westridge School and lives in San Marino.
18- The 2025 Royal Court members were chosen from a pool of 28 finalists. which were part of a larger pool of almost 900 young women, and few young men. (Maybe in few years, a young man will make history as the first male to be part of the Royal Court).
19- The recipient of the 2024 Rose Bowl Game Keith Jackson Postgraduate Scholarship is Abby McCulloh from University of Georgia. She will be awarded a $10,000 scholarship toward her postgraduate education in addition to receiving a unique and specialized work-study experience at the 2025 Playoff Quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl Game.
NY2025_Parade_Route_Closures Map20- The parade will travel 5.5 miles, starting at the corner of Green Street, north on Orange Grove Boulevard, then east onto Colorado Boulevard, before it turns north onto Sierra Madre Boulevard and wraps up on Villa Street.
21- The new 2025 Kitty Queen in Pasadena is Queen Eleven! She was crowned by none other than the Rose Queen herself.
22- This year’s Rose Bowl Hall of Fame inductees, American former professional football running back Reggie Bush, American football coach and player Mark Dantonio, and American former professional football player LaMichael James, will be honored at the 2025 College Football Playoff Quarterfinal.
23- The City of Alhambra is participating in the 2025 Rose Parade with a float design inspired by Northrup Elementary School student Chelsea Yeung.
24- A Visitor Hotline at (877) 793-9911 is available from Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, to Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, except Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.
Unused Rose Parade floats flowers (Photo – W.K.)
25- U-Haul trucks full of unused float flowers will be delivered to a yet to be determined location to be bundled into bouquets and distributed to local elderly residents that are alone or just don’t have family visiting during the holidays.
A lot of volunteers put this incomparable parade together for you. They don’t get paid. Your smile is their pay. They will be cold as you will be, too. Bundle up, smile at them, and have a great time!
More 2025 Rose Parade:
> Pasadena Rose Parade Safety Tips.
> Meet Pasadena Tournament of Roses 2025 Royal Court.
> Meet the President of 2025 Pasadena Tournament of Roses.
> Which Bands Will March in the 2025 Rose Parade?
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