The History of the Rose Parade
By Sherril Steele-Carlin
Watching the Rose Parade is a New Year's tradition in my home, and I expect it is in many others across the nation. The first Rose Parade was nothing like the spectacle today, but for more than 100 years, the Tournament of Roses Parade has showcased fine Southern California weather, beautiful floats, and fantastic marching bands – just what the organizers hoped to accomplish!
The First Tournament of Roses Parade
The first parade took place in 1890, and it was mighty modest by today's lavish standards. The Pasadena Valley Hunt Club organized the event, hoping to spotlight California's mild weather during the holiday season. As the years went on, the parade expanded from horse-drawn carriages covered in flowers to include marching bands and motor-driven floats. The parade continued every year but one, (during World War II) since its' inception, and it has become increasingly popular around the world.
Today's Parade
Today, the parade is a two-hour extravaganza of music, color, and celebration. The floats have become incredibly complicated pieces of machinery that include motorized animations and massive amounts of live flowers. Just as in the original parade, all the floats must be entirely covered with living material, such as flowers, bark, leaves, and such. Float builders get incredibly creative with their use of materials, and thousands of volunteers work tirelessly for weeks before the parade to make sure each float is decorated on time and with intricate detail.
Along with the floats, sixteen marching bands strut their stuff along the parade route, along with numerous equestrian units. History is an important part of each parade, and tradition dictates that the parade will never be held on a Sunday, which is why the 2006 parade will take place on January 2.
Tournament Park
The Pasadena town square eventually became Tournament Park, and hosted many post and pre-parade events. Parade events included games and activities throughout the park. (They included ostrich races and a race between a camel and an elephant.) For many years, tournament park was also the home of the post-parade showcase of floats.
The Tournament Association
By 1895, the parade had grown enough in popularity that the Tournament of Roses Association was formed to coordinate the parade and other activities, because the Hunt Club found it could no longer effectively manage the parade.
Today, the "white coats" as they have become known, are prominent along the parade route.
The Association also coordinates the annual Rose Bowl game, and the selection of the annual Rose Parade Queen and her court. The Association also showcases the parade floats after the parade in the Showcase of Floats where the floats are parked along Sierra Madre and Washington Boulevards in Pasadena. Admission is now charged to view the floats, but viewing includes demonstration of the hydraulics that make the intricate animation possible.
