Every New Year’s Day, the annual Rose Parade attracts thousands of fans from all over the country who camp out on the streets to ensure they get the best viewing point of the floats; this year was no different. 39 floral floats hit the streets at 8 a.m along with 17 equestrian teams and 19 marching bands. They were met with a surprise because for the first time in 20 years, the Rose Parade was held in the rain. The spectators were covered in ponchos and raincoats as they came out to see their favorite floats. Some of the highlights of the parade included the Trader Joe’s float pictured above, the Rose Queen Sereno Guo and her court, and the San Diego Zoo’s extravagant creation, which won the award for most beautiful float. The theme of the parade was the “Magic in Teamwork,” which the Tournament of Rose’s officials said celebrates “the sense of accomplishment in knowing that by working together, we can collectively achieve outcomes so much richer than we can ever experience as individuals.”

Each year, the Rose Parade takes the same route starting on Colorado Street in Pasadena. The marching bands, which come from both local and out-of-state high schools and colleges, set the tone, radiating energy through their music and performances. After, the equestrian teams ride behind, showing their spirit on their horses as they travel behind the floats. Each float represents a different part of the community and shares a unique story from the Pasadena area, ranging from the South Pasadena float to the Rose Bowl game float. The construction of these floats takes weeks, having to create almost every aspect by hand, from the flowers on the float to the machinery that allows them to function. Olivia Tanouye ‘27 comments on her first experience constructing the floats. “This is the second time I worked on the Rose floats and it was a really fun experience.” She continued, “I was working on the CAL POLY float called“Jungle Jumpstart”, the only student-run float. It was a really cool float with a giant robot and a lot of other animals.” Olivia added, “I helped decorate the float by taking these purple flowers, which were grown in the Cal Poly garden. We used scissors to cut out the petals and used them to decorate certain areas of the float.” She says, “There was also a bird made out of orange slices and other animals made out of seeds. Overall, it was a very fun experience”. Since 1890, the Rose Parade has been a huge yearly success. Of course, this year was no different as each organization brought their own unique spin to the theme of “Magic In Teamwork”–summing up to a grand total of 21,000 flowers. Some of the winners of this year’s parade include the Animation Award which went to the Boys and Girls Club of West San Gabriel, the City of Alhambra won the Bob Hope Humor Award with their float “Bee Magical Together,” and the Grand Marshal Award was given by this year’s Grand Marshal Magic Johnson, who picked his favorite float: the San Diego Zoo float.

Despite the rain, this year’s Rose Parade put on an absolute spectacle, delighting thousands of soaking wet fans who chose to spend their New Year watching the annual New Year’s Day parade. Even the magic of the parade couldn’t be stopped by the rain, with the decor and the longstanding tradition shining its bright lights through the streets of Pasadena to welcome 2026.