After patrolling the Rose Parade for decades as members of the Pasadena Police Department, Keith and Shelley Jones joked that they’d had their fill of the petals and pageantry and would never return.
But on Wednesday morning, there they were — hanging out in the grandstands along Colorado Boulevard, just as giddy about the floats and marching bands as their two young grandchildren at their sides.
“It’s a New Year’s tradition for us. ... We all love it all,” said Shelley Jones, 72.
The Joneses, of La Verne, bring their grandchildren, ages 8 and 10, to the parade each year while their daughter and son-in-law — who are a Pasadena police detective and lieutenant, respectively — provide security for the event.
Thousands of spectators turn out to watch the 136th Rose Parade, which had the theme “Best Day Ever!”
And while the 136th Rose Parade was a joyous occasion for the family, they were thinking of New Orleans, where, just hours earlier, a driver plowed into a crowd along Bourbon Street, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens in a suspected terrorist attack.
“It’s a tragedy,” said Keith Jones, 70. “It’s very much a shame. You feel for the families. Security has always been a concern, it’s always front of mind, but it’s definitely ramped up since 9/11.”
Nevertheless, Jones, who sported a pair of shorts and a puffy jacket, said he felt safe at the Rose Parade because of the major law enforcement presence.
Security was top of mind for Pasadena and Tournament of Roses officials on Wednesday as hundreds of thousands of people lined the 5.5-mile route beneath picture-perfect blue skies, celebrating this year’s parade theme of “Best Day Ever.”
Tournament of Roses officials, who started the festivities with a moment of silence, said in a statement that they “extend our deepest sympathies to the people of Louisiana and the city of New Orleans following this morning’s tragic events.”
“We stand in solidarity with the entire state during this difficult time.”
Lisa Derderian, a spokeswoman for the city of Pasadena, told The Times on Wednesday that the Rose Parade “is a top-rated federal event, and it has been for many years, so we have federal, state, county and city resources that have been in Pasadena for several days.”
More than 1,000 law enforcement officers were in the city for the parade and Rose Bowl game, Derderian said. For the last few years, she added, the parade route has been lined with “very robust vehicle barriers.”
The San Diego Zoo float took top honors in the 136th Rose Parade, winning the Sweepstakes Award for “most beautiful entry” for two years in a row.
During last year’s Rose Parade, a woman rammed her vehicle into one of the barricades along Colorado Boulevard, Derderian said.
“She could have easily injured or killed people,” Derderian said. “She had some past history of mental illness, was told not to cross a line, didn’t listen, revved her engine, and continued driving. The barriers stopped her.”
Bob Mellano is supplying the flowers and foliage for 21 of the 39 Rose Parade floats. The Hearts rose is grown outside Bogotá in carefully controlled greenhouses.
For the fourth consecutive year, the state of Louisiana had a float in the Rose Parade. This year’s float, dubbed “Louisiana Saturday Night,” featured a giant green alligator decorated with lime slices, broccoli florets, green bell peppers, Brussels sprouts, corn husks and cactus petals. On the gator’s back were a Cajun dance hall and pots of boiled seafood.
Mark Garcia, a retired firefighter from Contra Costa County who camped overnight along Colorado Boulevard, said that while he was saddened by the news in New Orleans, he had “never felt safer” than he did along the Rose Parade route Wednesday morning.
“There’s been two or three police patrolling this block all night long,” said Garcia, 58, adding that he was comforted by the “huge police presence.”
Garcia, who lives in Danville, was attending the parade for the second time. He staked out his camping spot at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, became friends with other overnighters and was in high spirits — despite only getting three hours of sleep on his cot while his family snoozed in a van parked nearby.
“It’s just a great spectacle bringing together so many people. Everyone’s in a great mood,” Garcia said.
A few blocks away, Angel Gutierrez, of Pasadena, huddled with his family around a makeshift bonfire before the parade began.
Gutierrez also claimed his camping spot early Tuesday morning, saying he preferred to camp for a full day and night — even with chilly overnight weather — rather than shelling out up to $125 apiece for grandstand seats that can fill up weeks in advance.
“I don’t want to say it, but the stands are for boring people,” Gutierrez said with a laugh. “Here, you get the whole experience, getting to talk to different people.”
New Year’s Day marks the third time the Kyoto Tachibana Senior High band will perform at Rose Parade. Bands from Mexico, Panama and Denmark will march too.
Gutierrez has been coming to the parade for about two decades — and his 10-year-old son, Rony Plascencia, has been attending since he was an infant.
“This is about starting off the year good,” Rony said.
He added: “My New Year’s resolution is for homeless people to get a home.”
As a float depicting Elphaba and Glinda from the movie “Wicked” passed by, Ana Hernandez, a street vendor from Bakersfield, chuckled with excitement but kept a steady eye on the $10 hot dogs she was selling.
She hoped to sell at least 40.
“My husband and I left Bakersfield at midnight so we could be ready to sell our hot dogs,” said Hernandez, a farmworker who picks grapes. “During the winter, we head to Pasadena since work in the fields slows down when it’s colder. I love glancing at the colorful flowers in the parade.”
This year’s Rose Parade grand marshal was Billie Jean King, the tennis icon and gender equality activist who won 20 Wimbledon titles, 39 Grand Slam titles, and drew an audience of 90 million people worldwide for the televised 1973 “Battle of the Sexes” match in which she beat onetime national tennis champion Bobby Riggs.
When she was announced as the parade’s grand marshal in October, King, a Long Beach native, said it “is like a dream come true.”
“As a child, the annual Tournament of Roses Parade was a big deal in our home,” said King, 81. “We used to talk about it all year long. ... We looked forward to it every single year.”
King, waving to the crowd with both hands, rode in a blue, flower-adorned 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III alongside her wife, Ilana Kloss.
The 2021 Rose Parade was canceled for the first time since World War II because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It returned to a smaller crowd in 2022, but attendance has been growing in the years since.
Candy Carlson, a spokeswoman for the Tournament of Roses, said in a statement to The Times that about 750,000 people lined the route in 2024, compared with about 700,000 in 2022, indicating a “strong return” to pre-pandemic crowd sizes.
“The consistent growth in attendance underscores the Rose Parade’s enduring appeal and the joy it brings to our community and visitors from around the world,” she said.
If you’re in town for the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl, here’s where and what to eat in Pasadena.
The parade was followed by the Rose Bowl game, which this year is a College Football Playoff quarterfinal, between the Oregon Ducks and the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Susan Caviness traveled from Ohio to watch her son perform with the Ohio State University Marching Band, which marched in the parade before the game. She was not bothered by the 50-degree morning in Pasadena — which, to many of the Southern Californians in attendance, qualified as chilly.
“I’m actually hot!” Susan Caviness said with a laugh.
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