How to See the 2022 Rose Parade In-Person
Seeing the Rose Parade in person is one of my favorite holiday traditions! We brave the crowds, cold, + early morning to start the new year off with beautiful floats + marching bands. Want to go?
Options:
1) buy grandstand/bleacher seats for $60-111/person from the Tournament of Roses web site (via Sharp). If you would don’t want to camp overnight + would be devastated to not have a great spot, do this! (Covid rules apply)
2) camp out overnight on Colorado Blvd
This was invigorating as a 23 year old newlywed. As a 35 year old mom, it would be kind of miserable (we haven’t gone since having kids). Be ready for it to be cold + very loud. You won’t sleep well. However, you’re pretty much guaranteed a front-row spot if you arrive around dinnertime Friday night. Sleeping bags + chairs permitted, but no tents. Check the official web site, but usually you can claim a sidewalk spot around 12pm NYE, then around 11pm they will close Colorado Blvd + you’ll be able to move out to the blue line painted a few feet into the street.
3) find someone who will stay overnight for you. When we lived in the area, our church’s youth ministry did this, so we just arrived early that morning. Maybe you have a college student who likes to stay up all night anyways? Or your spouse can sleep in any conditions? Then the rest of you can join early Saturday morning. (I’d plan to arrive by 7am or so if meeting up with someone on the parade route.) I saw online that First United Methodist Church in Pasadena might have spaces.
4) arrive early that morning + hope for the best! I’d try to arrive by 6am, maybe 7am at the latest, ready to walk down Colorado Blvd. looking for a spot. If your group is small, and especially if you’re tall + can stand behind others (or kid on your shoulders for 2 hrs of viewing parade), that helps. (Little kids *may* be offered a spot in front of kind adults if there’s space, but no guarantees). Of course, be courteous - many others have been there all night or paid $$$ for their seats. There’s some risk involved here - if it’s jam-packed, you may be standing behind 5-6 rows of people, unable to see much. Or, you could get a great spot! Despite the risk, it’s the cheapest/easiest. You should expect to stand the whole time, but you can bring a folding chair if you’re feeling lucky.
In general, we stick to the final half of the parade route. It will arrive here much later - more like 9am or later (though you’ll still often see a Stealth Bomber flyover around 8am). The crowds seem a bit lighter. This is out of the hubbub of the televised area + big grandstands.
Some people online recommend the corner of Sierra Madre + N Altadena for the least crowds at the very last part of the parade. The parade is winding down (bands may be getting tired + tall floats will be folded to get under a bridge) but this may be the best last-minute spot. (You may find free neighborhood parking over here too).
PARKING
You can reserve parking ahead of time via Sharp, but we’ve always snagged a spot in a locally-run parking lot. Bring cash - if you see parking that morning, I’d grab it. We paid $20 last time, but could be $30+. Be prepared for traffic on the way home (I’d take surface streets a ways before trying to get on the 210). You can also take the Gold Line if you like public transport.
TIPS
Sit on the south side of Colorado if possible so you don’t have the sun in your eyes the whole time.
Porta-potties will be the only bathroom option, sometimes with long lines.
Dress in layers - it will start out very cold but likely get warm by the end of the parade.
Embrace the crowds! Know that traffic/parking will be a bit of a nightmare.
The streets will be filthy. People throw tortillas + marshmallows, plus there will be trash. I wear old shoes.
Bring muffins, hot cocoa + coffee in a thermos to enjoy while you wait.
Cold temps won’t keep crowds away, but rain will. If it rains, you can likely just show up that morning.
OTHER IDEAS
Volunteer to decorate floats! Did you know this is an option, especially for teenagers + adults? It’s SO FUN! (Covid rules apply)
Attend Floatfest after the parade - $20/person starting at 1pm Jan 1 - all day Jan. 2. (Covid rules apply.) Lots of walking + usually crowded.
You can usually (unofficially) watch the floats line up around Del Mar + Orange Grove around 8-11pm on NYEve.
Attend BandFest or EquestFest (pre-parade) for a closer look at the bands + horses.