PASADENA, CALIFORNIA. – Flower-covered floats, marching bands and equestrian units celebrated the New Year on a chilly but dry Monday as the 134th Rose Parade slipped through a gap in California’s siege of drenched storms.
Pasadena’s annual flower extravaganza provided the upbeat theme of “Turning the Corner” for 2023, and former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords, who survived a shooting in 2011, served as grand marshal.
“The new year is a time of renewal, an opportunity for a fresh start,” Tournament of Roses President Amy Wainscott told television viewers.
The parade, traditionally held on January 2 when New Year’s Day falls on a Sunday, began with Los Angeles band Fitz and the Tantrums! Performance of “Let Yourself Free” and a crowd puller featuring two US Air Force B-1B jets.
Rain has rarely fallen on the parade, but this year it was scarce. Downpours hit Southern California over the weekend and the rain was expected to return by Monday night and potentially affect the Rose Bowl college football game between Utah and Penn State.
But in the meantime, thousands of spectators and parade participants avoided getting soaked.
Giffords rolled down the 5.5-mile (8.8-mile) route in an antique convertible decorated with flowers, accompanied by her husband, US Democratic Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona.
Marching bands came from the US and around the world.
The Riverside County, California, Sheriff’s Mounted Unit was led by a riderless horse in honor of Deputy Isaiah Cordero, 32, who was killed Dec. 29 during a traffic stop.
The floats featured simple beauty—birds, bees, bears, beetles, and giraffes covered in flowers or other natural materials—as well as messages like a Cal Poly university entry titled “Road to Reclamation,” which featured animated snails and mushrooms shows living on a fallen branch.
The Louisiana Office of Tourism’s “Feed Your Soul” float, which depicts a paddlewheel riverboat, was the stage for Lainey Wilson’s performance during the parade.
Donate Life’s bright orange and red Chinese street dragon, blowing smoke from its nostrils, was awarded the Lottery Trophy for Most Beautiful Entry by the Tournament of Roses judges.
American Idol finalist Grace Kinstler performed aboard a float to promote tourism in her home state of Illinois, and country music star Tanya Tucker sang her current single “Ready as I’ll Never Be” in the parade finale.
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