Rose Bowl Blog

Posted by Jennifer W. Miner Dec 11, 2006

Pasadena is a lovely town to visit. Southern California residents know about Pasadena attractions, such as the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens, the Jet Propulsion Lab at Caltech, and the Kidspace Children's Museum. Once a year, however, the biggest event in Pasadena is also the biggest event in North America. I'm referring, of course, to the annual Rose Bowl parade, held on January 1st and nationally broadcast on ABC, CBS and NBC.

Who hasn't watched the famous Tournament of Roses Parade, at least once, as a kid? The Rose Bowl Parade may be most people's initial awareness of Pasadena as a city, as well as our introduction to the first day of the New Year. I know I first heard of Pasadena because I watched the Rose Bowl on TV, back when I was little and living in the Northeast.

It's a big tourist attraction for Pasadena, too: Well over a million people attend the Tournament of Roses Parade each year. That's quite an increase from the two thousand that came to watch the first Rose Bowl Parade in 1890. Please click here for some tips and ideas about how to see the parade in person. The crowds may be hard to negotiate, but at least the weather is almost always perfect!