Rose Parade expects increased crowd after post-pandemic slump

Thousands of parade-goers watch the 2023 Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena.

Dec. 31, 2023 Updated 7:19 AM PT

When the Rose Parade returned in 2022 after a historic break amid the pandemic, things felt different.

Despite the marching bands, high-stepping horses and massive floral displays again rolling through Pasadena’s streets, ticket sales dropped dramatically and spectators were noticeably fewer. Last year, with the threat of COVID-19 further reduced, crowds along the 5½-mile parade route were still not what Tournament of Roses organizers hoped to see.

This third year could be pivotal: Will the 135-year-old event bounce back to the crowds it once boasted, upward of 700,000?

Officials hope that answer is yes, and are banking on a promising forecast, a competitive football matchup and an exciting musical lineup to draw people in.

“We are expecting we’ll have good crowds for the parade and the game itself,” David Eads, Tournament of Roses chief executive, said this week. “The 2020 parade was really the last parade that was pre-pandemic normal. ... We would hope that our crowds [this year] are as large as 2020.”

With the nation finally free of the pandemic public health emergency, much of the event world has returned to typical operations. Organizers hope the 2024 parade will see the same kind of enthusiasm as other in-person locales, such as theme parks, which have reported a strong post-shutdown return, and concerts and festivals, which have drawn record sales in the last year.

“I think people really just want to get together and gather again and celebrate the new year in this very special way,” Eads said. “We feel good that the crowds will be strong again this year.”

Since the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the Tournament of Roses in 2021, in-person parade attendance has continued to lag, for which officials cite myriad reasons.

Last year, the parade took place on Jan. 2 because of the tournament’s “never on Sunday” rule, which Eads said often drives down attendance. Observers noted it was a more muted event than in years past, though still busier than 2022.

“Attendance isn’t what it was pre-COVID, but every year since then, it’s moving up,” said Sindee Riboli, president and general manager of Sharp Seating Co., which sells the parade’s grandstand seating and the tournament’s special event tickets, like Floatfest and Bandfest.

A float with an American flag design passes a grandstand

Eads says this year has a lot going for it: The weather is looking good, Michigan and Alabama’s football teams have fan bases that travel well, and the parade’s “Celebrating a World of Music” theme and expanded performances have broad appeal. The College Football Playoff semifinal game is sold out, with resale tickets topping price charts.

Riboli typically sells parade grandstand tickets to about 10% of those in attendance. That number usually tops out at 100,000, Eads said, adding there’s not room for much more than 1 million people along the route.

In a typical year, Riboli said, the grandstand seats are built and sold to about 75,000 people. While crowds have been returning since the pandemic pause, only about 55,000 seats are being prepped this year, she said Thursday.

Tickets will remain on sale through the morning of Jan. 1, and the company will accommodate last-minute purchases, Riboli said.

“We’re going north every year,” she said of the crowd numbers. “We still have tickets if people want them — and we’re doing well. We’re very busy. The phones are all ringing; people are all coming to our counter.”

A Marine Corps marching band passes under a Rose Parade banner

Riboli said she has already seen a bump in ticket sales from the excitement around the Michigan-Alabama game, and she expects crowds will increase compared to last year.

While she’s not convinced 2024 will rival pre-pandemic attendance, she’s confident peak crowds will return.

“We will eventually hit those numbers again. It’s just going to take a few years,” she said. “I am hopeful.”

She didn’t have specific data about ticket sales but said totals for 2022 — the first back from the pandemic shutdown — plunged about 40% compared to prior years.

The Tournament of Roses doesn’t have consistent data on crowds or attendance. Parade officials said in 1997 that they abandoned crowd counts after previous figures had been criticized as inflated.

In 1991, former Pasadena Police Lt. Gregg Henderson told The Times there wasn’t a set formula for estimating crowd size. “You go up in the air and take a look down, and it’s like, ‘Yep, a whole lot of folks down there, probably about a million.’”

Officials say one of the biggest factors for last-minute parade attendees — those who don’t buy tickets — is the weather.

Recent storms across Southern California have brought heavy rain and dangerous surf, but it looks like a break could coincide nicely with the Tournament of Roses.

Tom Fisher, a National Weather Service meteorologist based in Oxnard, said that after Saturday’s precipitation, likelihood of rain falls drastically over the following two days, when Los Angeles County finds itself situated between rotating storm systems.

“[On] Monday — the 1st — all day and the night before [the parade] has a 30% chance of showers,” Fisher said. But he noted Pasadena is unlikely to see any of that rainfall, which is expected to be less intense than earlier storms.

Temperatures this weekend are expected to hover around 60 degrees during the day and dip into the mid-40s at night. Those camping out for the Rose Parade should plan on layered clothing and blankets, city officials warned. On New Year’s Day, highs should be in the low 60s, forecasts show.

“We don’t control the weather, but we have a pretty good track record of having sunshine on parade day,” Eads said. In the last 69 years, it’s rained only twice on the parade.

If there are showers Monday, they will pale in comparison to the amount that fell the last time it rained on the parade in 2006 — the first occurrence in 51 years. A heavy storm drenched participants and spectators, prompting officials to consider canceling the event because of safety concerns.

Eads said he’s feeling confident about Monday and said the expected mild temperatures are particularly good for the floats’ flowers, which can wilt when conditions are too hot.

One other lingering concern for parade organizers: the threat of potential protests, particularly from groups advocating for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip as the Israel-Hamas war continues. Groups in recent weeks have disrupted traffic at Los Angeles International Airport and on the 110 Freeway, prompting police to intervene.

But that’s nothing new for Tournament of Roses officials, who have seen numerous protests over the years.

In 1990, AIDS activists brought the parade to a standstill for 10 minutes by staging a sit-down protest, and in 2011, parade officials permitted Occupy demonstrators to march the streets after all the floats had passed.

The city of Pasadena has worked for months with numerous law enforcement and emergency agencies to prepare for any situation on parade day, including a protest, city spokesperson Lisa Derderian said.

The Rose Parade is considered a high-level event, which triggers support from federal agencies in security planning, she said.

“We have plans in place and resources that will be on-site and additional ones we can call into the city if need be,” Derderian said. “We plan for a worst-case scenario but hope for a beautiful, peaceful parade and game.”

Eads hopes the focus will remain on the planned events, which this year include three mid-parade performances — up from one previous act — as well as the opening and closing shows. Six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald is the grand marshal.

CBS News National Correspondent Jericka Duncan, actress Gabrielle Elyse and TikTok star Pressley Hosbach will host the two-hour inaugural livestream airing on Fubo TV, Christmas Plus, Pluto TV and LocalNow. Eads hopes the new livestream will reach a younger audience and allow people to watch days later.

“Every year is special,” Eads said. “This year, with the theme around music, we’ve really tried to tie closely into that theme. ... Music can take you to a time and a place that’s very special, and we’re just excited to share all of our music performances.”

For Riboli, who’s spent the last few decades preparing for and attending the Rose Parade, there’s no better way to spend New Year’s Day.

“It always feels like renewal,” she said. “Like we’re going to get better. It’s hopeful and happy — why not [celebrate] at the Rose Parade?”