With soaked streets and ponchos galore, the streets of Pasadena are unusually wet for Jan. 1 — making it a rare morning for the 2026 Rose Parade.
The last time it rained on Pasadena’s iconic parade was 2006, when the theme was “It’s Magical,” an echo of this year’s “The Magic in Teamwork.”
Also read: For the first time in 20 years, rain is in store for the Rose Parade. But for die-hard fans, no problem
In total, it has only ever rained on the Rose Parade 10 times: 1895, 1899, 1906, 1910, 1916, 1922, 1934, 1937, 1955 and 2006. Today marks the 11th.
Many New Years Days come around with maybe some drama over a forecast of a little moisture, but in the end, the coast, as they say, is usually clear. And the parade — from its grand marshals to marching bands to hundreds of thousands of spectators — enjoy a day of weather that lives up to the Southern California climate hype, albeit with sometimes threatening skies.
Also read: Why does it rarely rain on Pasadena’s Rose Parade?
This morning, viewers at home can expect to see plenty of moisture, but they won’t see very many umbrellas. That’s because the city of Pasadena has an umbrella ban along the 5.5-mile parade route.
Technically, the umbrella ban is enforceable only in the grandstand seats, prime spots people paid for, according to Tournament of Roses officials. But one can expect to get spirited pushback from Rose Parade diehards if one is blocking their view along any part of the 5.5-mile route.
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