You won’t see it on TV, but there’s a point in the Rose Parade where floats have to limbo under a freeway overpass. Our livestream will show you.
As part of the annual Rose Parade happening on New Year’s Day in Pasadena, each float, band and equestrian unit makes its way down the 5.5 mile route from the Tournament of Roses House on Orange Grove Blvd., turning onto Colarado Blvd. and ending on Sierra Madre Blvd.
What viewers across the country might not know is that in order for the floats to make their way to their final destination, they must pass under the 210 freeway, where the height limit is 16’-6”. This means that some of those very tall floats need to come up with creative solutions to make their way under the overpass.
The unique viewing spectacle has become a local favorite, and this year Pasadena Star-News will livestream this portion of the parade on the SoCal Local YouTube Channel. The livestream will begin on Jan. 1, 2025 around 10 a.m. as the floats are expected to arrive at the 210 freeway roughly 2 hours after the parade begins its journey from Orange Grove Blvd at 8 a.m.
If you want to follow along to as each float, band and equestrian unit makes its way down the Rose Parade route, we’ve put together a guide of the entire lineup in order.
Once the parade is over, all of the floats featured during the 2025 Rose Day will be available for guests to see in person as part of Floatfest. This year Floatfest has added a third day so the annual Rose Parade Showcase will take place from Jan. 1-3, 2025.
Here are some of the main things to look out for during the 136th Rose Parade
The tallest floats:
At 28 feet in height, Kaiser Permanente’s “More Healthy Days for More Healthy Years” float is expected to be the tallest float in the 136th Rose Parade. The next three tallest floats will be from the City of South Pasadena, Louisiana Office of Tourism and the UPS Store, Inc. which will each be 27 feet tall. After that will be the Visit Mississippi float which will be 26 feet tall.
The pandas on top of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s float will also be on the taller side of this year’s float designs with the float set to be 25 feet tall. In 2023, their float was also on the tall side with its giraffes. In order to get them underneath the freeway, the giraffe’s necks were ben, making it appear as though they were eating the grass.
Show stopping performances:
The televised portion of the parade takes place near the grand stands on Orange Grove Blvd. The opening number will be performed by Kiesza, known for her 2014 song “Hideaway,” followed by Aloe Blacc, known for his vocals on the 2013 hit “Wake Me Up.”
There will be two mid-parade performances, the first coming from rising country artist Timothy Wayne and take place on the Louisiana Office of Tourism float. The second mid-parade performance is set to happen on Enjoy Illinois, the Illinois Office of Tourism’s float and will be from Illinois native and Grammy nominee Brian Culbertson and will be a nod to “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”
The grand finale performance that will close out the 2025 Rose Parade will bring together three iconic entertainers; Betty Who, Debbie Gibson and Debbie Allen, who will be joined by students from the Debbie Allen Dance Academy.
Other exciting floats, bands and equestrian units to look out for:
Cal Poly’s float is the parade’s only student-built entry every year since 1949. It’s a joint effort between Cal Poly Pomona and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo college students. The float will feature Nessie the Loch Ness monster as she has a fun day at the lake with some Scottish animals.
Lions International’s float will feature four adorable lion cubs, two of which wear eyeglasses to honor the organization’s global commitment to vision care.
There are two prehistoric-themed floats. The City of Burbank’s float features dinosaurs and a volcano as they have “a-lava fun!” The UPS Store, Inc. will include a three-story tall mother pterodactyl with her two babies taking flight.
There are also two floats that are set to be “out of this word.” La Cañada Flintridge’s float is a follow-up to their 2017 entry “Backyard Rocketeer.” The space traveler has now made it to the red planet and is exploring on a modified Mars rover. Odd Fellows and Rebekah’s float reaches for the stars with an astronaut soaring past planets in its spaceship.
Inspired by the Broadway sensation turned box office hit, Universal Filmed Entertainment Group’s “Wicked” float aims to defy gravity. The float features giant versions of the witches of Oz, Elphaba and Glinda, who were portrayed by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in the film.
@the.socal.local Universal Filmed Entertainment Group is working with longstanding Rose Parade float-making company Phoenix Decorating to bring “Wicked” to life. The float will be seen in the 2025 Rose Parade in Pasadena during the first half of the televised broadcast happening on Jan. 1, 2025. It is in spot 28 of the 83 floats, equestrian units and bands that make up the parade. “Wicked” is now available to rent and purchase on digital. The second film, titled “Wicked: For Good,” is set to come out on Nov. 21, 2025.
: Lisa Jacobs, Correspondant, SCNG #wicked #pasadena #roseparade #roseparade2025 @Wicked Movie
Trader Joe’s floats are often fan favorites because of their colorful displays and creative approaches to showing off the grocery chain’s products. At 85 feet long, it will also be the longest float in this year’s parade. The “potluck express” will be a train featuring a lobster engineer at the front of the float as well as a pineapple submarine.
This years Rose Court float will feature Lindsay Charles who is the 106th Rose Queen. The Westridge senior will be joined on the float with the 2025 Rose Court consisting of Lisette Parker, Saniyah Brunston, Lara Georgian, Rose Queen Lindsay Charles, Natalia Pradhan, Simone Ball and Kate Kelly.
This year’s Tournament of Roses Grand Marshal is sports legend Billie Jean King. The Long Beach local has been a longtime champion for social justice and equality. She will be riding in a Rolls-Royce Phantom III, the final large pre-WWII Rolls-Royce.
LAUSD All District High School Honor Band will be one of the earlier bands to perform during the parade. Established in 1973, the local band has provided an opportunity for musical excellence and community representation for more than 14,000 students in the country’s second-largest school district.
Another local band will be Pasadena City College Herald Trumpets. They will announce the Royal Court in the Rose Parade for the 45th consecutive year. Following the Royal Court float will be the Pasadena City College Tournament of Roses Honor Band which are known as the official band of the Tournament of Roses and have marched in the parade since 1930.
Coming all the way from Japan, the Kyoto Tachilbana High School Green Band is one of the oldest female marching bands in Japan. Nicknamed the “Orange Devils,” the band is also known for collaborating with J-Pop singer Kalen Anzai in her 2019 music video.
The U.S. Navy Band is based in Washington D.C. and performs all throughout the country. 2025 will mark the band’s 100th anniversary.
Mini Therapy Horses from Calabasas are making their seventh Rose Parade appearance this year. The Southern California based non-profit organization has been providing emotional support and comfort from their miniature horses since 2008.
The Budweiser Clydesdales are an iconic symbol of the Anheuser-Busch brand. The team travels across the U.S., performing at parades and events; it’s been a Rose Parade regular since 1953.
Want to learn more about every float, band and equestrian unit featured in 2025 Rose Parade? Check out our guide of the complete 136th Rose Parade lineup.
Rose Parade 2025 lineup: Your guide to every float, band and equestrian unit, in order