What Is the Rose Parade? All About the New Year's Day Tradition

Also known as the Tournament of Roses Parade, the Rose Parade has taken place nearly every year since 1890 in Pasadena, California and has now been celebrated as a New Year’s Day tradition for over a century. Traveling over five miles along Colorado Boulevard, the parade has wowed millions of spectators watching at home or in person. NBC began broadcasting the Rose Parade on the radio in 1927 and moved to television in 1954.

The first parade was sponsored by Valley Hunt Club members as a way to promote Pasadena as the “Mediterranean of the West” and celebrate a wealth of flowers that bloomed in the middle of winter, according to the Tournament of Roses’ official website. 

The early days of this New Year’s Day tradition featured a “parade of flowers followed by an afternoon of chariot races, jousting, foot races and tug-of-war.” Some years included horse-drawn carriages and even games of greased-pig catching. In just a few short years, the parade had gotten so popular and well-known that a “Tournament of Roses Association” was created to focus on organizing the grand event, the association explains. 

Nowadays, the parade typically includes motorized floats covered in beautiful flowers — fresh and dried — with intricate designs using natural materials, as well as marching bands and equestrian units. The parade is then followed by the Rose Bowl Game. The traditional New Year’s Day college football game was first introduced into the parade’s lineup of festivities in 1902, though it didn’t become an official annual event until 1916, according to the Library of Congress. In 2025, the Ohio State Buckeyes will face off against the Oregon Ducks at Rose Bowl Stadium.  

The Rose Parade airs live on Wednesday, January 1 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. PT on NBC. The parade will also be available to stream live on Peacock. 

NBC’s broadcast will also feature a live audio description on the Secondary Audio Program channel (SAP) and an audio narration describing all of the action as it unfolds. 

The theme for the 2025 Rose Parade is “Best Day Ever!” 

“The 2025 theme celebrates life’s best moments — those unexpected times that bring a smile, warm our hearts and fill us with joy,” Ed Morales, president of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association, said in a statement, adding that the day is “about family, friends, and community and what we have to celebrate — and to be thankful for.”