Despite a historic downpour and a few more empty seats than usual, the 137th Rose Parade pressed forward in the soggy air on Thursday, featuring marching bands, float riders, a Rose Court donning ponchos and tributes to the survivors and victims of what are now last year’s Los Angeles-area wildfires.
The mammoth showcase lived up to its theme, “The Magic in Teamwork,” led by NBA legend and Grand Marshal Earvin “Magic” Johnson, leading more than 80 entrants who worked through the elements to complete a 5.5-mile trek christening the new year.
For the first time since 2006, Pasadena’s annual crown jewel tradition traded sunlight and sparkling colors for rain- soaked floats and last-minute logistical changes.
Officials described the attendance along the parade route as very light overnight, but said many people came out right before the parade to fill the grandstands. Still, crowds along the route during the parade appeared noticeably smaller than previous years.
The first noticeable change as a result of the weather was the last-minute cancellation of the B-2 bomber flyover. Officials held out hope until the last minute to see if weather conditions would improve enough to allow for the always anticipated fly by. But later in the day, as the weather cleared, the B-2 performed a flyover during halftime of the Rose Bowl game.
“You’d think it’s so high-tech a little rain won’t hurt it,” Arnold Gomez, 30, of Watts said. “Even if we just hear it, it would have been OK.”
Johnson said a little bit of rain wasn’t going to dampen his excitement about serving as the 137th Rose Parade’s grand marshal.
“This is one if the greatest moments of my life. Just like winning a championship,” said Johnson as he rode off into the parade.
At the beginning of the route, the convertible top of the Lincoln-Zephyr Continental Cabriolet carrying Johnson was up to keep out the rain. Johnson reached out of the window to wave at the passing crowds. Further down the route, the top was lowered.
“It’s amazing! After watching it so many years on TV, to know that my husband is the grand marshal — I’m so excited,” Magic Johnson’s wife Cookie Johnson said.
Those who did brave the conditions did whatever they could to stay as dry as possible while keeping a positive outlook on the day.
Carla Hall, 77, of Norco, drove into town four days ago and slept in her car to reserve the vantage point she’s had for more than 65 years. On New Year’s Eve, she camped out on the center divider in front of the Volkswagen dealership on Vista Place and Sierra Madre Boulevard, relying on heavy duty plastic sheeting to keep her dry. She ducked back in her car for drier breaks.
Hall can shrug off the miserable conditions. She and her son didn’t let the COVID-19 pandemic stop them from showing up at the same Pasadena corner on Dec. 31, 2020, when the 2021 Rose Parade was canceled for only the fourth time since it began in 1891.
She held up a sign that read: “Pasadena, we are here for you. Un-Rose Parade 2021.”
After witnessing more than 65 Rose Parades in the city where she grew up, Hall said she’s just happy to be in Pasadena on another New Year’s Day. Downpour? What downpour?
At 5 a.m., Hall did change into warmer sweatpants after she said she got soaked overnight. And she will stay under the covers until the parade kicks off.
“This makes me extremely happy,” she said. “It’s been part of my life since third grade and I enjoy seeing not just the parade but the reactions from those sitting near me. It’s part of who I am. I’m a Rose Parade lover.”
Early poncho-clad parade goers ducked into King Taco and other shops, huddling under store awnings as they watched four people chant “Hare Krishna,” as they walk the still-empty Colorado Boulevard.
People reserved their spot along Colorado Boulevard with chairs and tarps. Some had umbrellas and were already seated to wait for the parade.
Tammy Zea, 47, guided drivers past roadblocks to find parking. This was her 10th Rose Parade working for United Valet, but her first in such soggy conditions.
“What do you need to survive today? she asked. “Patience. But most people are nice. You just have to keep that excitement for the new year.”
Hoosiers fan Tammy Persinger, 58, arrived ready to rainproof her first Rose Bowl experience. She fashioned a red poncho with the “IU” logo out of duct tape.
Pooper scoopers Kelley Bernal, 46, and Sarah Meleka, 49, expected their floral headpieces to be a bit bedraggled by parade’s end, but the two veteran Tournament volunteers said the rain may be good for one thing today. While the gifts horses leave for them usually break up easily, the rain may make it an easier picker upper.
Angela Teutla got her spot near the end of the parade route at around 3:30 a.m.
She felt lucky to have found a spot under the 210 freeway overpass which provided some reprieve from the near-constant rain before the parade began.
“A bunch of my family is here, so we can all support my son,” Teutla, 39, said. “This is his second and likely last time playing in the Rose Bowl.”
Teutla and her five family members came with decorated posters, all wrapped in giant black trash bags so they won’t get ruined in the rain.
Her son, Daniel, is a senior and a drum major in the Los Angeles All City marching band.
Year after year, many of the people under the freeway are All City parents, alum, staff and supporters who coordinate to meet and support their loved ones to the end.
This year, the spot is a coveted one as people brave the weather to attend the 2026 Rose Parade.
Martin Aguilar, 28, is a coach for the All City marching band color guard.
He said this years participation was “bittersweet,” with the happiness of getting to support the kids he coaches mixed with worry for the band instruments being damaged in the rain.
The steady rainfall on parade morning took its toll on several floats, which appeared faded in places. Float riders, including the Rose Queen and her court sported ponchos.
For the first time in its history, the Cal Poly Universities float entry earned the Tournament of Roses Sweepstakes Trophy awarded to the most beautiful float entry.
Other standout entries that caught the crowd’s eye included a 60th anniversary Star Trek float. Lt. Hikaru Sulu himself, portrayed by actor George Takei, rode on the float.
Three large animatronic eagles towered above the America250 float, which celebrated the United States of America’s 250th birthday this July. The impressive design earned the float a Leishman Public Spirit award. A bipartisan organization established by Congress in 2016 commissioned the float.
Sprinkled within the celebration were nods to the Los Angeles wildfires, which nearly a year ago killed 31 people and destroyed thousands of structures in nearby Altadena and the Palisades. Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo rode in a vintage fire engine with Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger and a firefighter, fire survivors and a volunteer who helped clear debris.
“Today’s Rose Parade rightfully honored the strength and resilience of communities impacted by wildfires,” Barger said in a statement. “These tributes reflect the gratitude we owe to our brave first responders and the enduring spirit of survivors who are rebuilding with hope and determination.”
The “Rising Together” float entry honored those lost in both fires with 31 sunflowers representing those killed. Float riders briefly held a sign which read, “AG Bonta Altadena Demands an Investigation.”
Local organization Altadena Rising posted a photo of the sign on social media and demanded that Los Angeles County officials needed to be held accountable for their inaction during the Eaton fire, which the organization said contributed to the destruction of Altadena.
“The Altadena float carries more than flowers this year, it carries our demand for an investigation into the fire AG Bonta, we need answers,” the social media post read.
The California Community Foundation and the Black Freedom Fund, which presented the float, said the signage was not part of the float.
“The California Community Foundation and the Black Freedom Fund stand with the community and support the urgency of calls for accountability and justice,” according to a statement. “The signage displayed was not part of float.”
The groups went to to say that the float was created to honor “the courage and resilience of wildfire survivors and to remember those whose lives were forever changed – and those we lost.
“We remain committed to justice for survivors and to walking alongside the community as it recovers, rebuilds and heals.”
Staff writers Anissa Rivera, Steve Scauzillo, Julianna Lozada, Victoria Ivie, Christina Merino, Ryan Carter and Lisa Jacobs contributed to this report.