Months of preparation have led up to this grand event, with floral scents filling the air on Monday as hundreds of volunteers worked tirelessly at the Phoenix Decorating Company warehouse, located east of Los Angeles.
Inside the warehouse, volunteers worked diligently, some crawling on hands and knees or scaling scaffolding to add the final touches to the 17 floats. Many carefully inserted individual flowers into small tubes filled with water before meticulously placing each vial, one by one, onto the floats.
“It’s the calm before the storm,” said Chuck Hayes, who oversees sponsor relations at the Phoenix Decorating Company.
Hayes barely had time to finish one answer before another question came his way, or he was quickly called to handle an urgent issue. Nearby, a young man working atop a float shouted that he had spotted a leaf bug, prompting his colleague to rush over and inspect the float.
Each year, more than 800,000 people gather to witness the Rose Parade in person, with millions more tuning in from home. NBC will broadcast the iconic event for its 98th consecutive year at 11 a.m. ET, with the parade also available for streaming on Peacock.
One of the standout floats this year will honor the hit musical Wicked, released earlier this year by Universal Pictures (Comcast, which owns Universal, also owns NBC News).
The grand parade will feature 32 elaborate floats, all crafted from organic materials, along with 20 marching bands and 16 equestrian groups. This year’s theme celebrates “life’s best moments,” according to parade officials.
“Together, we reflect on our journey and look forward to what’s to come. It’s about celebrating family, friends, and community, and giving thanks for all we have,” said Tournament of Roses President Ed Morales in a statement.
Near the entrance of the warehouse, Diane Davis carefully picked black beans from a white cup, using a thin paintbrush to affix them to a panel featuring an image of Jesus with two children.
His brown hair was crafted from cinnamon, his white robe was made of crushed rice, and the blue background was a delicate arrangement of statice flowers, carefully trimmed with small scissors.
The scene was being constructed on a panel for the Lutheran Hour Ministries float in 2023. The panel has since been repurposed as an educational display to showcase the intricate work involved in creating floats.
An identical panel will be featured on this year’s Lutheran Hour float, which will depict two heralding angels and a church complete with stained glass windows.
Diane Davis’ mother, Fran, worked on the original panel two years ago and noticed the black beans she had painstakingly glued were starting to crumble. On her 89th birthday this week, Fran began the meticulous task of using a razor blade to remove the damaged beans and replace them with fresh ones.
“Even a display panel needs to look its best,” both mother and daughter agreed.
“These beans have a little white on them, and that’s not supposed to show,” Davis explained.
This year’s participants finalized their designs in the spring, spending the rest of the year bringing their visions to life. For Canadian nonprofit Coding for Veterans, which trains service members for careers in tech and cybersecurity, the Rose Parade provides an opportunity to honor the armed services and deliver a message that veterans are ready for a new chapter.
Last year, Coding for Veterans made its Rose Parade debut, according to Steve Cassar, a spokesperson for the organization. This year, their float design includes a 55-foot replica of the USS Princeton aircraft carrier, a Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopter crafted from seaweed and parsley, a laptop with a working QR code for information about the nonprofit, and a pyrotechnic feature.
The float’s logo is made from blueberries, kidney beans, and navy beans, while two murals are created using black onion seeds and dried coconut.
“It’s organized chaos,” said Jeff Musson, executive director of Coding for Veterans. “Right now, you have people moving in all directions, trays of flowers being pulled from loading areas, transport trucks unloading supplies, and a whole team working to place the roses on the float.”
Like many parade participants, Musson grew up watching the Rose Parade on TV. As an adult, he attended in person a few times before Coding for Veterans became an official entrant.
“If you had told me I’d be part of this iconic parade, I would have said ‘no way,’” he said. “But as the saying goes, the year ends with the ball drop in New York and begins with the Rose Parade in Pasadena.”
The Rose Parade, which began in 1890 as a promotional event by the Valley Hunt Club, an exclusive social group for wealthy Pasadena families, was initially designed to showcase the region’s mild weather as a contrast to the harsh, snowy winters on the East Coast.
“When people in New York are buried in snow, our flowers are blooming, and our oranges are about to bear fruit,” Professor Charles F. Holder declared at a Club meeting when the Rose Parade was first conceived, according to the Tournament of Roses website. “Let’s hold a festival to show the world our paradise.”
The parade began with horse-drawn carriages adorned with flowers but has evolved into a spectacular display of massive, motorized floats that take months to build. These floats travel at an average speed of 2.5 mph over a 5.5-mile route, as noted by the Tournament of Roses.
This year’s grand marshal is tennis legend and gender-equality advocate Billie Jean King, who won 20 Wimbledon titles and captivated 90 million viewers during the 1973 televised “Battle of the Sexes” match against Bobby Riggs.
The 2025 festivities will kick off with a co-headlined performance by Kiesza, who will sing her hit “I Go Dance,” and Aloe Blacc, performing his anthem “Wake Me Up,” originally featuring the late Avicii. Mid-parade, country artists Timothy Wayne will sing “Louisiana Saturday Night,” Brandon Bennett will blend country and gospel, and the trio Chapel Hart will take the stage.
The grand finale will bring together 2000s pop star Betty Who and ’80s sensation Debbie Gibson.
“What better way to start the year than with hope, optimism, and joy?” said David Eads, CEO of the Tournament of Roses.