Get a Peek Behind the Scenes of the Rose Parade with These 7 Fascinating Facts
Although the Covid-19 pandemic halted the parade floats in their tracks when the 2021 Rose Parade was cancelled, "The Bloom is Back on New Year's Day" in 2022! This event is part of the Tournament of Roses, which began in 1890 as a way to celebrate the abundance of fresh blooms in California in January, while most of the country is buried under snow and ice. Back then, horse-drawn carriages covered with fresh flowers paraded down the streets of Pasadena (the first motor-driven floats didn't make an appearance until 1920). Now, thousands of hours of prep, millions of flowers, and lots of dedication and creativity go into making the Rose Parade special every year.
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The 2022 theme is "Dream. Believe. Achieve." This was the original theme for the fateful 2021 Rose Parade. Education and its ability to change lives was the inspiration used to create this theme. Additionally, the theme has expanded to include the STEM professionals, healthcare workers, and first responders who were imperative during the pandemic.
This year, the California-based extravaganza is going all out. LeVar Burton, best known hosting the iconic children's show Reading Rainbow and his roles in Roots and Star Trek, is serving as the 2022 parade grand marshal. Festivities will commence when LeAnn Rimes takes to the Corner of Green Street and Orange Grove Boulevard for her opening performance. A special version of "Throw My Arms Around the World" was remixed and remastered for the occasion. American Idol season 17 winner, Laine Hardy, will be out on the mid-parade performance with the Hot 8 Brass Band presented by the Louisiana Office of Tourism. Tradition will continue as the 108th Rose Bowl follows the Rose Parade. The match will feature the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Utah Utes, starting at 5 p.m. (ET).
Even if you're a lifelong viewer of the parade, here are a few interesting facts to keep in mind as you watch the impressive floral floats, marching bands, and equestrians travel down Colorado Boulevard this New Year's Day.
1. More Than Just Roses Are Used for Decorating Floats
Roses are usually the star of the show on parade day, but you'll see a lot of other flowers and plant parts covering the floats, too. Orchids, carnations, and irises are among some of the other commonly used blooms. Float designers are permitted to decorate with pretty much any natural material, though, so you may notice leaves, seeds, bark, and even fruits and veggies being put to creative use. This year, participants are including elements like coconut, seaweed, moss, chickpeas, and rice alongside fresh flowers to bring their floats to life.
2. The Parade Uses Millions of Flowers
Because the parade is different each year, it's tricky to know exactly how many flowers go into making all the floats. However, even the smallest floats need thousands of fresh-cut flowers, and there are usually more than 40 floats each year, so it's safe to say that it takes millions of blooms each year. The estimates from the 2020 parade float builders range from 8,000 flowers covering the 30-foot-long Royal Court float to over 220,000 flowers on the 75-foot Trader Joe's float. Lyn Lofthouse, floral decorator for the Phoenix Decorating Company (which creates the most floats at the Rose Parade), stated that a big float could have over 60,000 roses on it.
3. Floats Are Decorated in Chilly Conditions
Fresh cut flowers don't last long, so most of the floats are created within a week or a few days before the parade. To help the flowers stay fresh, the decorating takes place indoors in "float barns" around Pasadena, kept at chilly temperatures to preserve the cut flowers. You can usually go watch the decorating process a few days before the parade, and it's not uncommon to see volunteers wearing winter coats, hats, earmuffs, and gloves to stay warm in the float barns. The all-important roses are also usually added to floats in small, water-filled tubes called floral vials to help them last through the decorating process and the parade.
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4. Hundreds of Volunteers Make the Floats
Volunteers are key to the Rose Parade every year. They help decorate floats, plan the parade, and keep everything running smoothly on New Year's Day. This year, 935 active volunteers have collectively contributed about 80,000 hours of work for the parade. As the event gets closer, some can work up to 12 or 13 hours a day cutting flowers, snipping petals, and placing roses to make sure all the floats are decorated in time. These volunteers are nicknamed "White Suiters" because of the recognizable white suits that the dedicated community members wear.
5. Most of the Flowers Are Composted After the Parade
Once the parade is over, the floats are parked along two streets in Pasadena for a couple of days so attendees can get a closer look at the craftsmanship and design that goes into each one. But once all the festivities are over, volunteers go back to work disassembling the floats. Some materials, like the metal frames, can be melted down and recycled, and floral vials are set aside and saved for the next year. The flowers themselves (and other natural materials) are usually starting to wilt after a few days on display, so most are composted or recycled into mulch to help new plants grow.
6. The Rose Parade Has Only Been Cancelled a Few Times (and Only For Extreme Reasons!)
The Rose Parade has only been cancelled four times in its 133-year-old history. The first three occurred in 1942, 1943, and 1945 were all due to World War II. Last year, the most recent cancellation was for safety precautions necessitated by the pandemic.
7. Never on Sunday
Like all days of the year, sometimes New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, but the Rose Parade never does. In the instances that the first day of the year lands on a Sunday, the parade is moved to Monday, January 2. Thankfully, in 2022 the parade will take place on a Saturday.
No matter how late we stay up the night before, we'll be up bright and early to watch the Rose Parade on New Year's Day! NBC, ABC, and the Hallmark Channel will all be airing the parade at 8 a.m. PST, and Univision will start coverage at 7 a.m. PST. Each 2022 float celebrates the theme "Dream. Believe. Achieve.," and you can keep an eye out for stunning floats from dozens of organizations like Donate Life, Kiwanis International, Shriners Hospitals for Children, and the Reese's University, the chocolate peanut butter candy's first time in the parade.
