Rose Parade Floats are Amazing!
@DeborahDiane (40054)
Laguna Woods, California
January 3, 2018 9:10pm CST
The day after the Rose Bowl, my husband and I, along with one of our adult daughters, drove over to Pasadena to see the Rose Parade floats up close.
They were incredible.
Every surface of every float was covered with plant material. Each of the floats also had to contain some roses in their decorations. Since the roses were a day or two past their prime, the aroma of the flowers was amazing!
As you can see in the photo above, the floats are beautiful, even up close. It is an experience everyone who is in Southern California over New Years Eve should make an effort to see.
11 people like this
14 responses
@JohnRoberts (109857)
• Los Angeles, California
4 Jan 18
The floats were particularly good this year.
3 people like this
@DeborahDiane (40054)
• Laguna Woods, California
5 Jan 18
Yes, I thought the floats were particularly lovely, too. The jungle one, with the elephant, giraffes and leopards was incredible.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40054)
• Laguna Woods, California
5 Jan 18
The Trader Joe one was beautiful! They were especially nice this year. I hope you get a chance to go in the future!
@changjiangzhibin89 (16533)
• China
4 Jan 18
It was really something to see the floats that are a blaze of colour ! Is it a part of your New Year's celebrations ?
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@changjiangzhibin89 (16533)
• China
5 Jan 18
@DeborahDiane Wow! for over 100 years! That is certainly a magnificent scene.
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@DeborahDiane (40054)
• Laguna Woods, California
6 Jan 18
@changjiangzhibin89 - They had over 40 floats this year which were covered in flowers. It is an amazing parade!
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40054)
• Laguna Woods, California
5 Jan 18
Yes, it is a tradition in Southern California which has been going on for over 100 years! It is always on New Year's Day, unless that is a Sunday. Then, they have the parade on the following Monday.
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@jaboUK (64361)
• United Kingdom
7 Jan 18
@DeborahDiane Thanks for the explanation Deborah - those floats must really be a sight to see.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40054)
• Laguna Woods, California
8 Jan 18
@jaboUK - Yes, they are beautiful!
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40054)
• Laguna Woods, California
6 Jan 18
@jaboUK - Flowers, especially roses, grow naturally in Southern California all year long. I never look outside my window without seeing a variety of flowers ... bougainvillea, roses, crepe myrtle, lilies of various types, citrus blossoms, etc. However, so many flowers are used in the Rose Parade floats that the number of roses alone are equal to 1/4 the total number of roses sold on Valentine's Day across the entire U.S. (That statistic even shocked me!). Plus, the rules require that the entire surface of every float be covered in natural plant material, and none of it can be dyed. As a result, they have to import flowers, grasses, vegetables, leaves, herbs, etc. from other places to get all the colors and types of plants they need.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40054)
• Laguna Woods, California
5 Jan 18
Thank you! It smelled heavenly to walk by the floats, and the artistry was amazing!
1 person likes this
@taciaelisepeace (1809)
• United States
4 Jan 18
Oh my that is a beautiful picture! And that's sounds like fun. I would love to attend one of those rose parades.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40054)
• Laguna Woods, California
5 Jan 18
I hope you get the chance to see the parade someday. A lot of people camp out on the sidewalk the night before the parade. Thousands of people do it, and they turn it into a giant block party!
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40054)
• Laguna Woods, California
6 Jan 18
@taciaelisepeace - I did it when I was 21, before I knew my husband. My friends and I had a great time.
1 person likes this
@taciaelisepeace (1809)
• United States
5 Jan 18
@DeborahDiane That actually sounds like fun!
1 person likes this
@KrauseHome (36448)
• United States
5 Jan 18
This is beautiful. Have always enjoyed watching the floats. Would be awesome to see them up close.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40054)
• Laguna Woods, California
6 Jan 18
This was the first time we went to see them up close. I'm so glad we did!
@DeborahDiane (40054)
• Laguna Woods, California
5 Jan 18
I'm so glad we went to see the floats in person. They looked beautiful and smelled wonderful!
@DeborahDiane (40054)
• Laguna Woods, California
5 Jan 18
The floats are very pretty!
1 person likes this
@sueznewz2 (10409)
• Alicante, Spain
6 Jan 18
that's a great photo..the float does look lovely... it's good that you were able to go and see them and get that close to them...
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40054)
• Laguna Woods, California
6 Jan 18
It was a fun experience! It had been years since I saw them up close, and I had forgotten how beautiful they are.
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (73408)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
4 Jan 18
Lovely photo. I remember ages ago watching the Rose Bowl Parade on TV. Lucky you could see it in person.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40054)
• Laguna Woods, California
5 Jan 18
It is a pretty amazing parade. I loved getting to see the floats up close!
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@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
4 Jan 18
My grandson marched in the parade....one of my daughters sat with her best friend in the stands and another daughter was at the end of the parade route. Now we know why the cameras are at the start of the parade route. 
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40054)
• Laguna Woods, California
5 Jan 18
How exciting! I noticed a band from Canada. I wish I had know your grandson was in the parade. I would have watched for him! It must have been very exciting for your family. I hope they had a good time while they were in California.
@shivamani10 (11038)
• Hyderabad, India
4 Jan 18
yes. they are quite awesome.Can't we arrange them at home?
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40054)
• Laguna Woods, California
5 Jan 18
My flower arrangements never look this good!
