PASADENA, California — Flower floats, marching bands and equestrian units took to the streets under sunny California skies as the 135th Rose Parade drew hundreds of thousands of spectators on New Year's Day.
Monday's Pasadena tradition featured Broadway legend Audra McDonald as grand marshal and the theme “Celebrating a World of Music: The Universal Language.”
After recent rain showers and gray skies, there was plenty of sunshine for the start of the spectacle at 8 a.m. with a military flyover of a B-2 stealth bomber.
Among the fanciful floats was Kaiser Permanente's colorful “Symphony of You,” which featured 8,000 roses and received the President Award for the Most Outstanding Use and Presentation of Flowers.
The top prize, the 2024 Sweepstakes Trophy, went to the San Diego Zoo for the 55-foot-long “It All Started With a Roar” float, featuring the mascot Rex the Lion, which celebrates conservation.
The program included Destiny's Child singer Michelle WIlliams, “The Voice” winner Cassadee Pope and “American Idol” champion Jordin Sparks.
Huge crowds lined the 5.5-mile parade route. Many camped on sidewalks overnight and staked out their spots in the afternoon on New Year's Eve.
The parade was briefly interrupted by about fifty pro-Palestinian demonstrators carrying a banner demanding a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas. They blocked the route before dispersing peacefully on police orders, city spokesperson Lisa Derderian said.
McDonald was scheduled to toss the coin before the 110th Rose Bowl college football game between Alabama and Michigan.