Rose Parade 2026 lineup: Your guide to every float, band and equestrian unit, in order
It’s time for the 2026 Tournament of Roses Parade — a New Year’s Day floral extravaganza like no other.
“The Magic in Teamwork” is the theme, and parade fans can expect musical performances — starting with the Opening Spectacular, plus equestrian units, marching bands, dozens of floats (each adorned with tens of thousands of roses, carnations and other flowers plus natural elements) and more. Much more.
What follows is a look at the floats, bands, equestrian units — each and every entry, in the order they’re expected to appear along the 5.5-mile parade route. (Note: The lineup is subject to change, even as late as the morning of the parade.)
2026 Rose Parade Sound Car
2026 Rose Parade Pace Car
Opening Spectacular presented by Honda
Singers Kiesza, backed by 20 dancers in shimmering reflective costumes, and Aloe Blacc kicked off the Rose Parade on Jan. 1, 2025. The 2026 performers have yet to be announced.
1. Honda
The Power of Teams
(Artistic Entertainment Services)
A Tournament of Roses partner for more than 60 years, and a presenting Rose Parade sponsor for more than a decade, this entry from American Honda is not part of the judging process. That said, when the company’s floats were being considered for awards, they earned 15 trophies between 1995 and 2010.
- Dimensions: 16 feet (height), 18 feet (width), 55 feet (length)
- Number of flowers: Not announced
U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber
Flying in from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, the B-2 Spirit is a multirole bomber capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear munitions. When it was developed in the 1980s, and delivered by Northrop Grumman Corp. to the Air Force starting in 1993, it represented a dramatic leap forward in technology. To date, the largest military strike using B-2 bombers took place in June 2025, when the aircraft attacked nuclear sites in Iran.
How the bomber travels from Missouri to Pasadena — coordinating with air traffic control along the way — to perfectly time the start of the Rose Parade is an impressive feat. U.S. Air Force Col. Keith J. Butler, who grew up in the neighboring city of Arcadia, was at the center of it when piloted the bomber over the Rose Parade in 2018; he called the experience “a bucket list item” when he later talked to reporter Teresa Liu.
2. United States Marine Corps Mounted Color Guard
Barstow, Calif.
Based at Marine Corps Logistics Base in the Mojave Desert near Barstow, this unit is the last remaining mounted color guard in the Marine Corps. The Marines will be riding palomino mustangs adopted through the Bureau of Land Management’s Adopt a Horse and Burro Program.
- Marshal: Sgt. Maggie Hardy
- Breeds: Mustang
3. United States Marine Corps West Coast Composite Band
Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Incorporating elite musicians from three separate Southern California ensembles — the 1st Marine Division Band, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing Band and Marine Band San Diego — the Rose Parade is the only event where you’ll find all of them performing together on the same stage.
- Band director: Gunnery Sgt. Craig Palmer, drum major
4. Disney Celebrates America
5. San Francisco Travel Association
Believe In San Francisco
(Fiesta Productions Inc.)
The sights and sounds of the City by the Bay — cable cars, Pier 39, Golden Gate Bridge and more — come to life aboard this inaugural entry from the San Francisco Travel Association. 2026 promises to be a big year for the San Francisco area, which hosts Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8 and six FIFA World Cup matches in June and on July 1. Other headline activities include the Pokémon World Championships and the return of a new and improved “Bay Lights 360,” an installation by artist Leo Villareal that will illuminate a 1.8-mile stretch of the Bay Bridge.
The float will feature more than 100,000 individual blooms, including 15,000 fluorescent orange marigolds used to create the oversized California poppies encircling the float. Another 20,000 blue irises, hybrid delphiniums, and blue and white hydrangeas help create the waters of the San Francisco Bay. And, 25,000 red “Hearts” roses fill the roadway gardens on the Golden Gate Bridge.
Fun fact: San Francisco has been represented in the Rose Parade 30 times — 1917 was the first time, and the most recent was in 1978.
- Dimensions: 24 feet (height), 18 feet (width), 55 feet (length)
- Number of flowers: 100,000-plus
6. Lions International
In Harmony We Serve
(Phoenix Decorating Company)
Four lion characters — decorated with light tan, brown and gold fine-ground flax seed; manes of pampas grass; and wearing glasses of red fine-cut strawflower plus green fine-ground parsley flakes — row a canoe together in this entry from Lions International, which made its Rose Parade debut in 1948, and has been part of every procession since 1992.
Representing Lions Clubs International and the Lions Clubs International Foundation, Lions International has 1.4 million members. “We improve health and well-being, strengthen communities and support those in need, locally and globally,” says the organization.
- Dimensions: 16 feet, 6 inches (height), 18 feet (width), 35 feet (length)
- Number of flowers: 16,000
7. Homewood Patriot Band
Homewood, Ala.
After making their Rose Parade debut in 1984 — followed by subsequent appearances in 2003, 2009, 2014 and 2022 — this will be the Homewood Patriot Marching Band’s sixth New Year’s Day performance in Pasadena. They’ve also been regularly featured in the St. Patrick’s Day Festival in Dublin, Ireland (three times), and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (nine times).
- Band director: Chris Cooper
8. Pasadena Tournament of Roses President Mark Leavens
Mark Leavens, who has volunteered with the Tournament of Roses since 1995 and is now serving as the organization’s president, will be riding a 1967 Crown Firecoach with his family. It was built for the Pasadena Fire Department by the Crown Coach Company of Los Angeles, better known for their yellow Crown school buses.
The engine was built as a “triple combination,” meaning that it carried three different firefighting elements (water, a pump and fire hose). More specifically, it had a ladder, a 500-gallon water tank and it could pump 1,250 gallons of water per minute out of five hose outlets.
Fun fact: This same fire engine was seen in a 1975 episode of the TV series “Emergency!” when the fire department responded to a plane crashing into an apartment building. That episode, “The Mouse,” is available to stream on Peacock.
9. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
Giant Strides Together
(Artistic Entertainment Services)
In a floral preview of Elephant Valley, which is opening March 5 at San Diego Zoo Safari Park, a towering African elephant, curling its trunk skyward, leads the way on this fifth Rose Parade entry from San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.
Besides the 40,000 flowers, there’s plenty of movement, too. The elephants’ trunks curl, ears flap and heads sway. Also look for four fully functioning waterfalls, engineered to circulate real water throughout the float.
After winning the Animation Award in 2023, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance has captured the Sweepstakes Award each of the past two years.
- Dimensions: 21 feet (height), 18 feet (width), 57 feet (length)
- Number of flowers: 40,000
10. Cal Poly Universities
Jungle Jumpstart
(Self-built)
Designed, constructed and decorated by students at Cal Poly Pomona and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, this float features rainforest animals working together to restore an old robot. It’s a visual representation of “The Magic in Teamwork” theme, and is the 77th year the two universities have worked together to produce a Rose Parade entry — a partnership that has produced 63 trophies (most recently the Leishman Public Spirit Award in 2025). As for the robot, its left arm lifts a macaw high into the air as the bird’s wings flap.
Overall, 21,000 flowers were used along with other materials, including ground coffee beans, curly willow and walnut shells to recreate the look of soil, vines and fallen branches.
- Dimensions: 25 feet (height), 18 feet (width), 53 feet (length)
- Number of flowers: 21,000
11. The Valley Hunt Club
Pasadena
The Valley Hunt Club — a hunting and fishing social club that came out of the 1880s Southern California land boom — is credited with starting what has become today’s Rose Parade on Jan. 1, 1890. That first procession featured a handful of horse-drawn carriages decorated with flowers and was viewed by about 250 spectators. The club’s current president and family will be traveling down Colorado Boulevard aboard another flower-decorated carriage, recalling that first procession, but this time will be cheered by hundreds of thousands people along the parade route and watched by millions of TV viewers around the globe.
- Marshal: Art Leyendekker
- Breeds: Friesian
12. Kaiser Permanente
A Better Idea for Health Care
(Phoenix Decorating Company)
Highlighting a team-based approach to health care — and also playing off the Rose Parade’s 2026 theme, “The Magic in Teamwork” — this entry boasts nearly 75,000 flowers including white fluffy gypsophila; light lavender roses, carnations and mums; dark lavender roses and carnations; plus white roses, carnations and mums to decorate the cloud arch from front to rear. Kaiser has been a part of 19 previous Rose Parades, and has won 15 trophies including the President Award in 2024 and the Wrigley Legacy Award last year. If you’re watching the parade from along Colorado Boulevard, that song you’re hearing is a recording of Bruno Mars’ “Count on Me.”
- Dimensions: 20 feet (height), 18 feet (width), 55 feet (length)
- Number of flowers: Nearly 75,000
13. Delfines Marching Band
Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
Founded in 1999, Delfines Marching Band is the oldest and largest musical group of its kind in Veracruz, Mexico — a metropolitan area with nearly 1 million residents on the country’s gulf coast about 250 miles east of Mexico City. Performance credits include more than 1,500 appearances throughout Mexico, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Pageant at Windsor Castle in 2012, and three previous Rose Parades (2007, 2011, 2015). The band’s uniforms include charro suits and pre-Hispanic Papanteca attire.
- Band director: Jesus Emmanuel Mendoza Gonzalez
14. Los Hermanos Bañuelos Charro Team
Altadena, Calif.
Dedicated to preserving the rich traditions of charrería, Mexico’s national sport, the Los Hermanos Bañuelos Charro Team was founded in 1995 and remains based in the San Gabriel Valley. Riders wear custom-made charro suits — newly designed each year — embroidered with silver; they ride on handcrafted saddles stamped with the team’s logo.
- Marshal: Ramon Banuelos
- Breeds: American Quarter Horse, Andalusian, Freisian, Azteca
15. City of Santa Fe Springs
Honoring the Past, Celebrating the Present, Inspiring the Future!
(Phoenix Decorating Company)
The iconic Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe steam locomotive from Santa Fe Springs’ scenic Heritage Park is represented on the city’s 13th Rose Parade float, along with the 24-foot-tall windmill that spins. Santa Fe Springs was a Rose Parade regular in the 1960s, including in 1969 when its entry won the Grand Prize. After a 38-year hiatus, the city returned to the parade lineup in 2007 and ’08 (when it won the Extraordinaire Trophy for the most spectacular float). After 2026, organizers have already committed to the next two Rose Parades. City leaders, including Mayor William K. Rounds, are expected to ride the float.
- Dimensions: 24 feet (height), 18 feet (width), 55 feet (length)
- Number of flowers: 28,300
16. Grand Marshal Earvin “Magic” Johnson
Considered one of the NBA’s all-time greatest point guards, Magic Johnson led the Los Angeles Lakers to five championships during the 1980s. He retired in 1991, after announcing that he was HIV-positive, and went on to become a successful entrepreneur. His early investments and partnerships included opening movie theaters in underserved urban communities; more recently, he was part of an ownership group that purchased the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2012. He’s also part-owner of several sports teams including the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks and the NFL’s Washington Commanders.
Johnson will be riding in a Lincoln-Zephyr Continental Cabriolet convertible, which generally sold for $2,840 in 1940, making it one of the highest priced cars available that year. It was a time when the median annual family income was about $1,230.
The floral design adorning the vehicle, created by FTD, includes an abundance of yellow and purple roses — similar to the Lakers’ uniform colors — plus sunflowers, lisianthus, agapanthus, craspedia, purple artichokes, bromeliads and a variety of orchids that include cymbidium, vanda and mokaras.
17. Kindness is Free, Powered by Boys & Girls Clubs of the West San Gabriel Valley and Eastside
Building Kinder Communities
(Artistic Entertainment Services)
The classic “Three Little Pigs” tale has been reimagined for the third Rose Parade entry from the Boys & Girls Clubs of the West San Gabriel Valley and Eastside. Watch as the wolf and pigs move in sequence to mimic real building actions; the bird sitting atop the mailbox also moves.
Among the 60,000 flowers, the shingled roof is covered in red fine-cut strawflowers; the sides of the structure are dressed in ground yellow split pea, the front door with fine-cut hot pink statice, and the windows have ground peach lentil and seaweed. The chimney is textured with ground walnut shell and soft grey poppy seed.
The Kindness is Free initiative — which helps youth to understand the importance of equal treatment, respect and compassion for others through words and actions — was started by this organization in 2020, and has since spread to 450 Boys and Girls Clubs across the country.
- Dimensions: 22 feet (height), 18 feet (width), 55 feet (length)
- Number of flowers: 60,000
18. LAUSD All-District High School Honor Band
Los Angeles
With more than 300 students from 75 high schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District — including brass and percussion musicians, drum majors and shield carriers — this unit will be making its 53rd Rose Parade appearance. They’ve also performed at past Super Bowl and World Series games, plus with musical artists including Ringo Starr and Jon Batiste. The red, white and blue uniforms are topped with the distinctive West Point-style military shako.
- Band director: Anthony L. White
19. Mini Therapy Horses
Calabasas, Calif.
Founded in 2008 by Victoria Nodiff-Netanel, Mini Therapy Horses is a Southern California nonprofit with nine small horses trained to perform tricks such as smiling, bowing, and even playing keyboards. They bring smiles and encouragement to people of all ages at hospitals, schools and other venues, and also have been used in many crisis response efforts — including mass shootings in San Bernardino, Thousand Oaks and Las Vegas, plus 2018’s devastating Woolsey fire in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. A Rose Parade crowd favorite, they’ll be returning for their eighth appearance in 2026.
- Marshal: Victoria Nodiff-Netanel
- Breed: American Miniature Horses
20. Visit Mississippi
Mississippi: Where Creativity Blooms
(Artistic Entertainment Services)
Some of today’s most celebrated authors, musicians, storytellers and visual artists have connections to our nation’s 20th state. Nobel- and Pulitzer Prize-winning authors William Faulkner, Eudora Welty and Jesmyn Ward were born in Mississippi and/or grew up there. The late Jim Henson did, too. The puppeteer, who created the Muppets, listed the “birthplace” of Kermit the Frog as Leland, Mississippi, where a museum celebrates Henson’s legacy. You’ll find those and several other highlights on this sophomore entry from Visit Mississippi.
- Dimensions: 21 feet, 6 inches (height), 18 feet (width), 55 feet (length)
- Number of flowers: 90,000
21. City of South Pasadena
The Great Picnic Heist!
(Self-built)
The South Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association, the producers of this colorful entry, is an all-volunteer organization that has been constructing and decorating floats since 1893. To reduce float-building costs, and also to better involve the community, the organizers asked residents to donate two types of bark (eucalyptus and malaluka), along with sycamore and liquid amber leaves, plus bougainvillea flowers. Also, there are 15 varieties of roses on the float, including Toffee, Coffee Break, Sweet Unique and Pink Floyd).
The South Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association is riding a four-year streak of winning entries, after earning the 2025 Fantasy Award, the 2024 Founder’s Trophy, the 2023 Bob Hope Humor Award and the 2022 Founder’s Trophy.
- Dimensions: 26 feet (height), 18 feet (width), 45 feet (length)
- Number of flowers: 20,000
22. Arcadia Apache Marching Band and Color Guard
Arcadia, Calif.
Making their 19th Rose Parade appearance, this unit is well-versed at performing on a big stage. After winning a Southern California 6A level marching band competition in 2015, they were elevated to a national list from which they were selected to appear in a commercial that aired during Super Bowl XLIX. They’ve also marched in two Presidential Inaugural Parades and appeared on the TV game show “Let’s Make a Deal.”
- Band directors: Kevin Sherrill, Tom Plunkett
23. Budweiser Clydesdales
St. Louis
Raised at Anheuser-Busch’s Missouri farm, the Budweiser Clydesdales have been a Rose Parade favorite since their first appearance in 1953. The bay-colored horses stand 18 hands high and weigh about 2,000 pounds each; they have signature white stockings plus a blaze of white on the face, and flowing black manes and tails.
- Marshal: Todd Radermacher
- Breeds: Clydesdale hitch teams always travel with a total of 10 “gentle giants.”
24. Trader Joe’s
You Float Our Boat!
(Phoenix Decorating Company)
From front to back, there’s lots of activity on this entry from Trader Joe’s, including: colored water flowing from a bottle that rotates 360 degrees; the fish on the deck bob, and the pickle and squash sway back and forth; the three fruit masts at the center rock side to side (the second one is 28 feet high, and the others are 26 feet high); and the six utensils (knives, spoons and forks) plus the kitchen mixer beaters manually move to give the appearance of propelling it forward.
The ice cream float at the float’s front (say that three times fast) includes blueberries of blue fine-cut statice, raspberries of hot pink fine-cut strawflower, and cherries of red fine-cut strawflower; the straw is decorated with white fine-ground rice and yellow fine-cut strawflower; and the glass and base inside features white fine-ground rice, light pink fine-cut strawflower.
As for one of the floral characters, the parrot captain is dressed in yellow carnations (front), red fine-cut strawflower (back), red carnation petals and blue fine-cut statice (wings), and its wearing a hat with crème pampas grass, blue fine-cut statice and yellow fine-cut strawflower.
Winner of 16 awards during its past 23 years as part of the Rose Parade, Trader Joe’s is riding a four-year streak of trophy winners: Showmanship (2025), Animation (2024), Wrigley Legacy (2023) and Americana (2022).
- Dimensions: 28 feet (height), 18 feet (width), 65 feet (length)
- Number of flowers: 58,900
25. Rotary
Unite for Good
(Phoenix Decorating Company)
Riding a three-parade streak of presenting award winners, Rotary’s 46th Rose Parade entry represents the interconnectedness of all living beings and a shared responsibility to protect the planet’s diverse ecosystems. It’s fitting because the global service organization, with a membership of 1.2 million business and community leaders, works “toward a healthier and more peaceful world” in communities around the globe, according to the organization.
Aboard the float, the giraffes feature bodies of brown coffee, white fine-ground rice and gold clover seed, with tails of tan uva grass; the tigers have heads and bodies of white fine-ground rice, black onion seed, orange fine-ground lentil, yellow fine-ground split pea, and brown fine-ground flax seed. There also are floral arrangements of green monstera leaves, orange and green dendrobium, green and orange anthuriums, green asparagus plumosa fern, green hanging amaranthus and green Spanish moss. Overall, there are nearly 37,400 flowers on the float.
Besides taking the Princess Trophy in 2023, the Leishman Public Spirit award in 2024 and Tournament Volunteer last year, Rotary has won 12 other kudos dating back to 1980.
- Dimensions: 20 feet (height), 18 feet (width), 45 feet (length)
- Number of flowers: 37,400
26. Minō-Jiyū Gakuen “Golden Bears” Green Band
Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan
Considered one of the top five marching bands in Japan, this unit has earned seven gold medals at the prestigious All-Japan Marching Contest. In addition, for their Rose Parade debut, the musicians will be accompanied by the school’s cheerleading team — which boasts 40 national titles — and the band’s color guard.
- Band director: Daisuke Fukuzato
27. Star Trek 60
Space for Everybody
(Artistic Entertainment Services)
A recreation of the starship U.S.S. Enterprise will be soaring over Colorado Boulevard to celebrate 60 years since the launch of the legendary TV series “Star Trek” (Sept. 8, 1966). Other iconic imagery from the show includes rocks representing the geology in the Vasquez Rocks Natural Area, a 945-acre park in Agua Dulce, about 45 miles north of Pasadena and frequent filming location; and the Enterprise’s famous command bridge, where “Star Trek” actors will be stationed for the parade.
Speaking of the bridge, white coconut and grey lettuce seed will form sleek metallic surfaces, while accents of red cranberry seed and blue statice will add detailing. Black seaweed and brown palm bark complete the structure. The futuristic flying city will be detailed with tan sesame seed, grey silverleaf, orange lentils, and blue statice, highlighted with green parsley flakes. And the planetary cluster features green ti leaves, split peas, button mums, bells of Ireland, red cranberry seed, red geranium petals, and red mini anthuriums.
- Dimensions: 23 feet (height), 18 feet (width), 66 feet (length)
- Number of flowers: Not available
28. Hawaii Pa’u Riders
Waimānalo, Hawaii
Founded in 1981 by John and Lita Cook, the Hawaii Pā‘ū Riders celebrate an important part of Hawaiian history. “We revive the art of pau from the 1800s when women wore the pau, or ‘long skirt,’ to protect their ball gowns from dust as they rode to events,” their daughter, Leiala Cook, once told Hawaii Magazine. On New Year’s Day in Pasadena, each rider and horse will be draped in lei crafted in the traditional style of lei-making — each representing one of the eight main Hawaiian islands.
- Marshal: Leiala Cook
- Breeds: Quarter Horses, Cross Breed, Halflinger Horses
29. The UPS Store
Sharing Skills for Success
(Artistic Entertainment Services)
With an under-the-sea themed float, The UPS Store returns with a majestic 34-foot-tall seahorse coaching his charges through a synchronized swimming routine. It’s adorned with an impressive number of flowers (170,000) and natural elements. Corn husk, sesame seed, orange slices, and both whole and ground lentil were used on the coach, along with vibrant red carnations for the crown and spine. The baby seahorses were crafted with a corn husk belly and sesame seed accents, accented with sides of yellow split pea and ground peach lentil. Orange slices add a lively pop of color, while the manes glow in orange safflower.
This marks The UPS Store’s eighth Rose Parade, and when it comes to winning awards their record is perfect — with the most recent kudos being the Bob Hope Humor Award in 2024 and the Judges’ Award in 2025.
Riding aboard the float will be four Los Angeles area Junior Achievement students, outfitted in scuba gear, selected as a result of their outstanding participation in JA courses. There’s a nationwide partnership between The UPS Store and Junior Achievement USA; nearly $7 million in customer donations have been made since the program began in 2022.
- Dimensions: 34 feet (height), 18 feet (width), 55 feet (length)
- Number of flowers: 170,000
30. Pasadena City College Herald Trumpets
Pasadena
Announcing the Rose Court, this elite unit of nine trumpeters and one snare drummer — selected from applicants at Pasadena City College and more than 70 Southern California high schools — will be making its 46th consecutive Rose Parade appearance. Director Kevin Brown has guided the unit since 1983.
- Band director: Kevin Brown
31. Tournament of Roses
2026 Tournament of Roses Royal Court
(Phoenix Decorating Company)
Serena Guo, the 107th Rose Queen, and the 2026 Rose Court will be sitting amid a beautifully tailored rose garden and beneath a dazzling jeweled crown canopy. Seated on the float, from left to right, are Olivia Hargrove, Pasadena City College; Keiko Rakin, Alhambra High School; Livia Amy de Paula, Temple City High School; Serena Guo, Arcadia High School; Riya Gupta, Caltech; Naira Elaine Wadley, John Muir High School; and Sophia Bai Ren, Arcadia High School.
- Dimensions: 15 feet (height), 18 feet (width), 35 feet (length)
- Number of flowers: 5,000
32. Pasadena City College Tournament of Roses Honor Band
Pasadena
Known as “The official band of the Tournament of Roses,” this unit has marched in every Rose Parade since 1930. Members of the PCC Lancer Marching Band and 500-plus high school musicians from throughout Southern California compete annually for one of the band’s 225 available spots. Besides their New Year’s Day gig, they’ve also appeared in ESPN commercials and a music video with singer Mariah Carey. They’re dressed in red military-style jackets adorned with the iconic Tournament of Roses logo, white pants, white shoes and red shakos with white plumes.
- Band director: Dr. Peter Huerta
33. Lutheran Hour Ministries
Bringing Christ to the Nations
(Phoenix Decorating Company)
Here are two numbers that help tell this float’s story: 75 and 45,200. The first is how many years Lutheran Hour Ministries has been part of the Rose Parade, the second is how many flowers were used to decorate this entry. The main part of the blimp is decorated with yellow mums and shiny grey silverleaf; the front features a cross of black beans, a heart of xmas red mums, surrounded by white button mums, then blue fine-cut statice, more xmas red mums, and then Kermit green mums, plus hearts of elfin pink mums.
The organization’s most recent winner came in 2023, when its entry captured the Director Award, given for the most outstanding artistic design and use of floral and non-floral materials.
- Dimensions: 16 feet, 6 inches (height), 18 feet (width), 35 feet (length)
- Number of flowers: 45,200
34. 112th Rose Bowl Game
112th Rose Bowl Game, Float A
(Artistic Entertainment Services)
No. 1 seed Indiana University returns to the College Football Playoff for the second straight season and second time in program history. In the 112th Rose Bowl Game, Indiana will face No. 9 Alabama on Thursday, Jan. 1 at 1 p.m. This will mark the first-ever meeting between the two universities on the football field.
35. Indiana University Marching Band
Formed in 1896, the Indiana University Marching Hundred has a long and rich history. It started as a 22-member unit in 1896; by the mid-1920s, the band’s size had grown and it was nicknamed the Marching One-Hundred. Years later, the name was adjusted to the Marching Hundred, or simply the Hundred. In 1925, John Philip Sousa visited Bloomington, and declared the Marching Hundred “one of the snappiest marching and playing bands in the country.” The ensemble has performed at the Kentucky Derby (1939), a Presidential Inaugural Parade (1953) and a variety of college football bowl games.
- Band director: David C. Woodley, since 1993
36. Rose Bowl Hall of Fame Class of 2025
Montee Ball and Bob Stoops are the most recent inductees to the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame, which now has 148 members named during the past 37 years. Ball, who played for Wisconsin, was the NCAA’s all-time leader in touchdowns scored and is the only player to rush for 100 yards in three Rose Bowl Games (2011, 2012, 2013). Stoops, who retired in 2017 as Oklahoma’s all-time winningest coach, was the only coach in college football history to win a national championship and all four BCS bowl games, including the 2003 Rose Bowl Game.
They’ll be seated in a 1915 Pierce Arrow convertible, which will be decorated with an array of roses and orchid stems.
Read more: Rose Bowl history: Gate-crashers, near fisticuffs and crowds, and the move to the Arroyo Seco
37. City of Alhambra
Bee Magical Together
(Phoenix Decorating Company)
A design by Nok Han Lee, an eighth grader at Baldwin Elementary, was this inspiration for this float from the City of Alhambra, which is celebrating its 97th year as a Rose Parade participant. A giant animated bee waters the flowers in an Alhambra park, as two other bees move about — each with their wings fluttering. Of the nearly 31,500 flowers packed onto this 35-foot-long float are light pink, pink and hot pink carnation petals, along with xmas red mums and purple fine-cut statice; yellow fine-cut strawflower decorates the faces of the bees. Alhambra has won kudos in each of the past five Rose Parades, most recently the Mayor’s Award in 2025.
- Dimensions: 16 feet, 6 inches (height), 18 feet (width), 35 feet (length)
- Number of flowers: Nearly 31,500
38. 112th Rose Bowl Game
112th Rose Bowl Game, Float B
(Artistic Entertainment Services)
No. 9 seed Alabama, which is making its ninth CFP appearance in program history, advanced to the Playoff Quarterfinals after a 34-24 first-round victory at No. 8 Oklahoma. The Crimson Tide will be squaring off against top-seeded Indiana University at the 112th Rose Bowl Game. It will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools on the football field.
39. University of Alabama Marching Band
The Million Dollar Band, which features 400 musicians and is the largest student organization on campus, has been a Crimson Tide tradition for 106 years. Honors include winning the Sudler Award — the national championship for collegiate marching bands — in 2003.
- Band director: Dr. Kenneth B. Ozzello
40. Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo
Directly serving the city of Pasadena since 1997, when he was appointed the field representative for District 5, Victor Gordo was voted in as Pasadena’s third citywide-elected mayor on Nov. 3, 2020. After taking office, Gordo helped lead the city through the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery, and also during a period of mass retirements and the search for a new city manager.
More recently, Gordo led Pasadena’s effort to assist neighboring Altadena during and since the devastating Eaton fire; on Jan. 13, he wrote this: “Pasadena and Altadena are communities built over generations, each with a fabric that makes them unique. And while we are separate legal entities, we are one collective community. … Pasadena and Altadena are resilient and strong.”
Gordo and his family will be riding in a 1937 American LaFrance fire engine, first acquired by the Petaluma, Calif., Fire Department through President Roosevelt’s New Deal. Engine L-948 had fallen into disrepair, and after an extensive restoration effort it appeared in the 2012 Rose Parade.
41. Allen Eagle Escadrille
Allen, Texas
With about 600 members, the music program at this high school, about 25 miles north of Dallas, includes nine concert bands, two jazz ensembles, multiple percussion and chamber groups, a pep band, and three winter guard teams. Kudos have included the Sudler Shield Award (2003), sponsored by the John Philip Sousa Foundation, and several University Interscholastic League sweepstakes honors. This will be their third Rose Parade appearance (2006, 2016).
- Band director: Philip Obado
42. Blue Shadows Mounted Drill Team
Lake View Terrace, Calif.
Making their seventh Rose Parade appearance, consider the Blue Shadows Mounted Drill Team a New Year’s Day regular — one that also teaches young children horseback riding, with a special focus on mounted drill and leadership through discipline and teamwork. To join, a prospective member does not need to own a horse; instead, the team rides at facilities where rental horses are available. Sporting signature turquoise sequin vests the Blue Shadows competition team has claimed the California State Horsemen’s Association Drill Team Championship title for 14 consecutive years.
- Marshal: Allyson Wreede
- Breeds: American Quarter Horses are the most common used by our organization due to their versatility, but we accept all breeds of horses.
43. Explore Louisiana
Gulf to Gumbo
(Artistic Entertainment Services)
For its fifth Rose Parade entry, Explore Louisiana and the Louisiana Office of Tourism celebrate the combined efforts of fishermen, farmers, market vendors and chefs who create something uniquely Louisiana — gumbo.
The pelican chef is constructed with an internal lift system that allows him to raise and lower his ladle, creating the illusion of stirring the bubbling pot of gumbo. Beneath the French Market arch and dock, real water features flow on the camera side of the float, engineered with pumps and recirculating systems that produce a natural wave effect along the parade route.
When it comes to awards, the organizers have a perfect record after winning the Wrigley Legacy Award (2022), Showmanship Award (2023 and 2024) and the Director Award last year.
Off the float, don’t miss a live performance by John Foster, an 18-year-old Louisiana native and “American Idol” runner-up from the most recent season.
- Dimensions: 29 feet (height), 18 feet (width), 55 feet (length)
- Number of flowers: 73,000
44. Downey Rose Float Association
The Glow of Achievement
(Self-built)
The Indian Lantern Festival, known as Diwali, is the setting for this entry from the Downey Rose Float Association. At the float’s center is a Diya, a traditional lamp used during; it will have 12 tall, animated “flames” to appear like the real thing. It also symbolizes the victory of light over darkness. The five lanterns, decorated with chimes, will be covered primarily in statice, with accents of strawflower, green parsley, lentils, black beans and cranberry seeds to add detail and texture.
The oversized peacocks on each side — which symbolize good luck — have feathers decorated with rare purple sapphire mums to draw in deep blue hues and grown specially for the float. Those mums are complemented by blue statice, cranberries, yellow strawflower and green and yellow button mums.
With a Rose Parade history that dates to 1913, the Downey Rose Float Association is a 14-time winner of the Founder’s Trophy. And this year’s entry is one of only six that are self-built.
- Dimensions: 26 feet (height), 17 feet (width), 48 feet (length)
- Number of flowers: 25,000
45. Scripps Miramar Ranch – Steam Fire Pumper
San Diego
With horses hitched to an antique steam fire pumper, the Scripps Miramar Ranch saddlebreds this year will be honoring early volunteer fire departments and the courage of first-responders. Led by Michele Macfarlane and her acclaimed equestrian team, this entry has appeared in more than 40 Rose Parades, in addition to performing in the Closing Ceremonies at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano Japan, and at Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee Pageant in 2012. On New Year’s Day, Macfarlane will be accompanied by TV personality and designer Carson Kressley (“Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” and season 13 of “Dancing With the Stars”).
- Marshal: Michele Macfarlane
- Breeds: American Saddlebreds, KWPN, American Warmbloods
46. Sierra Madre Rose Float Association
Pancake Breakfast
(Self-built)
The 94th entry from the Sierra Madre Rose Float Association celebrates a popular event, the annual firefighters’ pancake breakfast, and at the same time offers a “thank you” to the city’s fire department — not only for their heroic efforts during last January’s devastating wildfires, but also day in and day out. It features firefighters coordinating their efforts to pour syrup onto an oversized stack of pancakes, which is moving back and forth.
Among the nearly 37,000 flowers, more than 10,000 red carnations adorn the fire truck. The hotcakes are covered in cornmeal, several colors of chrysanthemums, various grains and seeds and topped with dripping floral syrup.
While there’s plenty of whimsy, there’s some seriousness here, too — a memorial garden, filled with yellow roses in commemorative vials, wraps around the float’s front, just behind the title sign.
When it comes to award-winners, the Sierra Madre Rose Float Association is riding an impressive streak: 18 kudos during the last 19 Rose Parades.
- Dimensions: 24 feet (height), 16 feet (width), 48 feet, 5 inches (length)
- Number of flowers: Nearly 37,000
47. The Magnificent Marching Machine
Baltimore, Maryland
Making its Rose Parade debut, the Morgan State University music program features a 150-member marching band known for electrifying performances at major events, such as NFL games and presidential inaugurations. International performances include Bermuda, France, Italy and South Africa.
- Band director: Dr. Jorim E. Reid
48. Shrinking (Apple TV and Warner Bros. Television)
We’re Getting There. Together.
(Phoenix Decorating Company)
Pasadena residents and visitors may recognize the Colorado Street Bridge, the Civic Center fountain, Craftsman-style bungalow, vintage streetlights and other scenes featured on this float, which celebrates Apple TV’s Emmy-nominated comedy, “Shrinking.” The show — which is filmed in Pasadena and stars Jason Segel as a grieving therapist and Harrison Ford as a fellow therapist diagnosed with Parkinson’s — is counting down the days to the Jan. 28 debut of its third season. Ted McGinley and Luke Tennie were among the show’s stars expected to be riding aboard the float, which is the first Rose Parade entry from Apple TV.
- Dimensions: 16 feet, 6 inches (height), 18 feet (width), 55 feet (length)
- Number of flowers: 17,505
49. Painted Ladies Rodeo Performers
Sacramento
With mothers, daughters and granddaughters riding uniquely patterned American Paint Horses, the Painted Ladies Rodeo Performers will be making their 11th Rose Parade appearance. For more than three decades, they’ve also been a regular at the Folsom Pro Rodeo outside of Sacramento. Beyond the arena, the Painted Ladies Foundation has a mission to help grieving children and young adults through a loss or trauma via horse and animal therapy.
- Marshal: Jennifer Macias-Sweeney
- Breeds: American Paint Horses
50. City of Torrance
Together In Harmony
(Fiesta Productions Inc.)
A lush meadow — with deer, foxes, swans and more — decorated with 50,000 flowers and other natural materials is setting for the 70th Rose Parade entry by the City of Torrance and the Torrance Rose Float Association. Blueberry and Pink Floyd roses, cheerful pink Arcade Gerbera daisies, and a tapestry of wildflowers and soft grasses were used to create the lush meadow. Butterflies — with wings aglow in vibrant mosaics of orange marigold, orange lentils, golden strawflower and black seaweed — flutter above the scene. The entry was inspired by a design submitted by Elizabeth Le from West High School, the winner of an annual citywide competition. She will be riding aboard the float on New Year’s Day with with city leaders.
- Dimensions: 20 feet (height), 18 feet (width), 35 feet (length)
- Number of flowers: 50,000
51. Elks U.S.A.
Elks Care, Elks Share
(Phoenix Decorating Company)
Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Elks National Memorial in Chicago (the rotunda of which is depicted at the rear of the float), this is the 19th entry from the organization known for philanthropic programs that support veterans, youth scholarships, disaster relief and more.
The tree at the float’s center is decorated with stars of white fine-ground rice, a floral display on top with green springeri, red roses, red hanging amaranth, red cymbidiums, yellow roses, aloha yellow dendrobium, yellow cymbidiums and other items; the tree trunk features dark brown coffee, brown fine walnut shell and tan whole parsnip seed.
- Dimensions: 25 feet (height), 18 feet (width), 55 feet (length)
- Number of flowers: 72,100
52. Spirit of the West Riders
Arcadia, Calif.
The Spirit of the West Riders — with their colorful Old West period attire — have appeared frequently in the Rose Parade since they formed in 1991. Dedicated to preserving the legacy of America’s frontier horsemen, the entry traveling down Colorado Boulevard today will include a restored chuck wagon pulled by a mule team.
- Marshal: Dan Mc Cluskey
- Breeds: Western horses of various breeds
53. Travel South Dakota
Carved in Stone; A Legacy of Teamwork
(Artistic Entertainment Services)
South Dakota’s landmarks and iconic scenes — the rugged formations of Badlands National Park, roaming bison across the prairie, and, of course Mount Rushmore — are on display on this float, the second, from the nation’s 40th state.
The float features 40,000 floral elements, including corn, wheat, sunflowers, plus textured rust cornsilk for the bisons’ coats. As for Mount Rushmore, it rises in shades of light lettuce seed, sesame seed, and ground brown lentil, accented with tall long-needle pine for natural depth and texture. And soft grey poppy seed and delicate iris petals adorn the towering Dignity of Earth and Sky statue, an artistic nod to the stone and sky that define the prairie horizon.
Behind the scenes, a pump and basin system powers the real waterfall, keeping water flowing throughout the parade. And mechanical features inside the bison create smooth head movements.
- Dimensions: 21 feet (height), 18 feet (width), 55 feet (length)
- Number of flowers: 40,000
54. The Pride of Clover Marching Band
Clover, South Carolina
From a rural town with fewer than 10,000 residents, near the state’s border with North Carolina, The Pride of Clover Marching Band has performed — and succeeded — in competitions featuring marching bands from some of the largest high schools in the state. Known for delivering high-energy, entertaining productions, they’ll be making their Rose Parade debut in 2026.
- Band director: Rick Langdale Jr.
55. Arabian Horse Association Versatile Arabians
Greenwood Village, Colo.
Members of the Arabian Horse Association return for their ninth Rose Parade appearance, riding steeds with a lineage that can be traced to every corner of the globe. Formed in 2003, the AHA has 15,000 members in the U.S. and Canada, with more than 1 million registered Arabian, Half-Arabian and Anglo-Arabian horses.
- Marshal: Nancy Harvey
- Breeds: Arabian, Half Arabian
56. Princess Cruises
Together in the Magic of Alaska
(Artistic Entertainment Services)
Princess Cruises, which was founded in 1965 in Los Angeles, is making its Rose Parade debut with a float version of the latest addition to its fleet, Star Princess. The ship’s maiden voyage launched from Barcelona on Oct. 4, after which it made an 11-day cruise of the Mediterranean. It was officially christened the following month in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and this spring it will be making its West Coast debut, with regular service between Seattle and Alaska.
Aboard the float are floral recreations of the Inside Passage, glaciers, fjords, wildlife, mountain landscapes and more — scenes from the nation’s 49th state. Clusters of Alaska’s wild roses bloom across the float, honoring the state flower.
- Dimensions: 21 feet (height), 18 feet (width), 55 feet (length)
- Number of flowers: 300,000
57. AIDS Healthcare Foundation
Food for Health
(Artistic Entertainment Services)
2026’s entry from AIDS Healthcare Foundation has a goal of raising awareness about the organization’s Food for Health program and its efforts to address hunger and rising food insecurity among people and families. It’s a program that was put to the test about a week after the 2025 Rose Parade, when volunteers stepped up to serve free meals to first responders in the Pacific Palisades and to wildfire evacuees and others who moved out of harm’s way to the Pasadena Convention Center. Over the next several days, more than 75,000 meals were served.
As for AHF’s 2026 entry, there’s an oversized Jack and the Beanstalk character, surrounded by a variety of larger-than-life fruits and vegetables. The float’s animation includes truck wheels that spin and a beanstalk that will lower to allow the float to clear the freeway overpass at the end of the parade.
- Dimensions: 23 feet (height), 18 feet (width), 43 feet (length)
- Number of flowers: 89,000
58. The Salvation Army Tournament of Roses Band
Featuring Salvation Army musicians from across the country, and spanning generations both young and old, The Salvation Army Band is part of a ministry and nonprofit organization that serves people in need in more than 130 countries.
- Band director: Evan Figueras
59. The Norco Cowgirls Rodeo Drill Team
Norco, Calif.
Known for their fast-paced, precision maneuvers, members of the Norco Cowgirls Rodeo Drill Team will be riding American quarter and paint horses. In addition, they’ve supported a variety of causes including veterans’ programs, the Challenged Children’s Rodeo, and the Tough Enough to Wear Pink breast cancer campaign.
- Marshal: Mychon Bowen
- Breeds: American Paint Horses, American Quarter Horses, Appaloosa
60. City of Burbank
All Paws On Deck
(Self-built)
A Rose Parade participant annually since 1914, the City of Burbank’s latest features a misfit crew of 15 characters sailing in search of a forever home with a loving family. It’s one way the Burbank Tournament of Roses Association is highlighting the Burbank Animal Shelter, which is launching a pet-adoption promotion that runs Jan. 2-6. The dog characters are covered with a variety of materials, including pampas, buffalo and uva grass; hyacinth root, black Asian moss and cocoa fiber. If the TV cameras focus on it — or if you go to Pasadena for Floatfest, the post-parade float showcase — check out the turtle’s shell, which is made up of individual pieces, each one artistically designed by a mosaic artist consisting of thousands of beans.
- Dimensions: 25 feet (height), 18 feet (width), 46 feet (length)
- Number of flowers: 40,000
61. Franklin High School Marching Band
Franklin, Tenn.
Founded in 1937, this unit has won five Tennessee State Marching Band Championships, two Bands of America regional titles and the prestigious Sudler Shield, presented by the John Philip Sousa Foundation. Notable past performances include the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and at the Grand Ole Opry; they’ve also received an out-of-this-world shout-out from SpaceX Crew Dragon Resilience.
- Director: Michael Holland
62. City of Hope
Overcoming Cancer and Diabetes Together
(Phoenix Decorating Company)
Five cancer survivors and one long-term Type 1 diabetes patient who, after receiving an islet cell transplant at City of Hope, no longer requires insulin injections will be among those riding the 52nd entry from the City of Hope — one of the top cancer care hospitals in the country, according to a U.S. News & World Report survey. The nearly 13,000 flowers and natural materials include blue hybrid delphiniums, white dendrobium and white phalaenopsis for the animated butterflies; and white fine-ground rice and blue fine-cut statice for the birth baths.
- Dimensions: 20 feet (height), 18 feet (width), 55 feet (length)
- Number of flowers: Nearly 13,000
63. Victorian Roses Ladies Riding Society
Alpine, Calif.
Recalling the elegance of the 1880s Victorian era, members of the Victorian Roses Ladies Riding Society will be wearing custom-made true-to-the-period dresses as they drive a variety of horse breeds. The group, making their eighth Rose Parade appearance, also raises awareness and funds for horse rescue organizations.
- Marshal: Jamie Gassert
- Breeds: Quarter Horses, Haflinger, Mule, Paint, Shetland, Welsh Pony; Arabian (alternate), Miniature Horse (alternate)
64. La Cañada Flintridge Tournament of Roses Association
Goin’ Nutz
(Self-built)
This self-built, two-part entry from nearby La Cañada Flintridge features a team of forest critters and animal engineers, including a rabbit and a pair of squirrels, loading acorns (using a slingshot!) onto a raft heading downstream to community members in need.
The organization, which has been part of 46 previous Rose Parades, is a leader when it comes to sustainability. An overwhelming majority of the materials that went into this float’s construction have been repurposed from previous entries; and, it’s powered, not by propane, but an electric motor through an ongoing partnership with EV West in San Diego. Electrifying the hydraulics and drive engine with a full EV battery controlled system will be the next step in that process.
Community-sourced materials also went into the decorating of this float. Residents collected the acorns that fell from their oak trees, and organizers used them to make the larger-than-life acorns on the float, as well as special details around the log cabin “nut storage house.”
Among the 35,000 flowers, the aforementioned bunny is covered in (aptly named) bunny tails, cotton and pink rose petals. The meadow that makes up a large part of the main float includes roses, snapdragons and allium.
- Dimensions: 17 feet (height), 18 feet (width), 55 feet (length, incorporating the main chassis and satellite)
- Number of flowers: 35,000
65. 1st Cavalry Division, Horse Cavalry Detachment
Fort Hood, Texas
Since it was founded in 1972, the present-day Horse Cavalry Detachment of the 1st Cavalry Division has performed in multiple presidential inaugural parades, the 1984 World’s Fair in New Orleans, more than 20 Rose Parades and thousands of local fairs, parades and rodeos. Featuring more than 30 dark bay horses that are trained for about a year before being called up for action, the unit works to preserve the history and traditions of America’s mounted cavalry — including the use of Model 1885 McClellan riding saddles that are hand-made by cavalry troopers in an on-site leather shop.
- Marshal: Megan Korpiel
- Breeds: Quarter horses, draft mules
66. Go Bowling
Rolling Together as One
(Artistic Entertainment Services)
There is lots of animation on this float from Go Bowling, which is making its sophomore Rose Parade appearance. The bowling ball, five feet in diameter, slowly rotates; five of the pins spin in place, and the other five pins pop outward as though struck by the ball. The effects combine to give the illusion that a bowler has just rolled a strike. It’s estimated that 67 million people go bowling every year, making it the No. 1 participatory sport in the country.
- Dimensions: 25 feet (height), 18 feet (width), 55 feet (length)
- Number of flowers: 50,000
67. The Band Directors Marching Band
Pickerington, Ohio
After its debut in 2022’s Rose Parade, when it accompanied the Saluting America’s Band Directors float, The Band Directors Marching Band appeared in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and also performed at the 9/11 Memorial the following year. As the name implies, the all-adult ensemble features music educators from across the United States and Mexico — retired and current band directors and music education graduates who have collectively mentored hundreds of thousands of students.
- Band director: Jon Waters
68. The Michael D. Sewell Memorial Foundation
Banding Together
(Artistic Entertainment Services)
From an organizing team making their sophomore Rose Parade appearance, this float honors America’s band directors — the mentors and teachers who shape countless musicians. One of those band directors, Michael D. Sewell, who died in 2017, was a music teacher from Pickerington, Ohio, who brought his band to Pasadena four times during his 38-year career (1993, 1997, 2006 and 2010); his efforts and leadership inspired generations of students and are celebrated through the foundation that bears his name.
As for the flowers (67,000 of them) and natural elements, the bandleader is decorated with striking red strawflower, accented with black onion seed, blue statice, and yellow strawflower. The band also features a chorus of color — red and yellow strawflower, purple statice, green split pea, brown palm fiber and other elements. The float’s deck features a garden of orange and hot pink roses, yellow gladiolas, hybrid delphinium, green bells of Ireland, pink liatris, and white starburst mums.
The band marching with the float, as they approach the parade’s first turn from Orange Grove to Colorado Boulevard, will perform “Strike Up the Saints” — a special arrangement that combines the classics “Strike up the Band” and “When the Saints Go Marching In.”
- Dimensions: 25 feet (height), 18 feet (width), 55 feet (length)
- Number of flowers: 67,000
69. The New Buffalo Soldiers
Shadow Hills, Calif.
Honoring the legacy of the 10th Regiment, Company H of the U.S. Cavalry, members of The New Buffalo Soldiers wear authentic and reproduction military uniforms and tack from the Civil War, Indian Wars, Spanish-American War and World War I. Since its start in 1992, one of the missions of this unit has been to educate audiences about the significant contributions of Black Americans in U.S. military history. The original Buffalo Soldiers — who surveyed open land, built forts and roads, and guarded rail, stage and telegraph lines in the Midwest during the 1800s — were thought to have earned the nickname as a sign of respect from the Plains Indians.
- Marshal: August Simien Jr.
70. OneLegacy Donate Life
Treasure Every Moment Together
(Artistic Entertainment Services)
The great hornbill birds and monarch butterflies on this float, the 23rd from OneLegacy Donate Life, were selected for specific reasons: the birds play a crucial role in sustaining the circle of life in their communities, and monarch butterflies represent transformation and rebirth and are often used as symbols of donation and transplantation.
Of the 87,000 flowers, the birds’ vibrant feathers are brought to life with yellow strawflower, bright orange lentil, black ti leaf, yellow mums, black seaweed, and natural coconut. The orchids are decorated with fine coconut, hot pink statice, ground rice, and yellow strawflower. And the boats are detailed with roasted sesame seed, parsley flakes, red cranberry seed, coffee beans, and whole green split peas.
OneLegacy is riding a four-year streak of producing award-winning floats: the Extraordinaire Award in both 2025 and 2022, the Judges Award in 2024 and the Sweepstakes Award in 2023.
A nonprofit dedicated to saving lives through organ, eye and tissue donation throughout much of Southern California, OneLegacy serves more than 215 hospitals and nine transplant centers. Becoming an eye, organ or tissue donor, the organization says, can be done by registering online at donatelifecalifornia.org/ecampaign/onelegacy or by checking “YES” at your local DMV.
- Dimensions: 26 feet (height), 18 feet (width), 56 feet (length)
- Number of flowers: 87,000
71. Greendale High School Marching Band
Greendale, Wis.
Community service is important to the members of the Greendale High School Marching Band, which they have demonstrated through Honor Flight performances, VA hospital visits and a teddy bear drive for children’s hospitals. A 20-time Wisconsin School Music Association state champion, previous marquee performances include the Rose Parade in 2020, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (2016 and 2023) and Chicago’s Magnificent Mile Holiday Lights Parade in 2024.
- Band director: Tom Reifenberg
72. Rising Together
California Community Foundation and Black Freedom Fund(Artistic Entertainment Services)
To honor the lives lost during the early 2025 wildfires in Altadena, Pasadena, Pacific Palisades and Malibu, 31 sunflowers will appear on the float — the first Rose Parade entry from the California Community Foundation and the Black Freedom Fund.
Rising from the center of the float is a phoenix in mid-ascent. The landscape beneath transitions through California native plants and floral textures inspired by the foothills and valleys of Altadena and Pasadena and the San Gabriel Mountains, where the Eaton fire burned. At the rear of the float, the rolling ocean waves and shoreline elements represent the coastal communities of Pacific Palisades and Malibu.
Established in 1915, the California Community Foundation invests in, partners with and amplifies the power of community toward a good life. And launched in 2020, the Black Freedom Fund invests in the leaders and organizations at the center of Black communities, advancing people-led solutions.
- Dimensions: 16 feet (height), 18 feet (width), 50 feet (length)
- Number of flowers: 75,000
73. Odd Fellows & Rebekahs
Together We Grow
(Phoenix Decorating Company)
Celebrating its 75th year as a Rose Parade participant, Odd Fellows & Rebekahs returns with four furry animals (a raccoon, fox and two rabbits), that in nature would be at odds with each other, coming together to work in a community garden.
Among the nearly 24,500 flowers used, the deck features a garden of hot pink roses, light pink and hot pink carnations, white gerberas with green centers, dark blue iris, light lavender and white carnations, bright yellow roses and green springeri.
The fox’s fur on its snout, cheek and ears was created using white mums, light beau mums, bronze fine-cut strawflower, and dark beau mums. The pumpkin held by the raccoon includes light orange ground lentil and orange fine-cut strawflower, with a stem of light tan fine walnut shell.
On the planter box, the three letters in the chain links — F, L and T — represent the watchwords of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows: Friendship, Love and Truth. In the 2010s, the organization collected six Rose Parade trophies — most recently the Director Award, given for the most outstanding artistic design and use of floral and non-floral materials, in 2018.
- Dimensions: 16 feet, 6 inches (height), 18 feet (width), 35 feet (length)
- Number of flowers: Nearly 24,500
74. The Sound of Brownsburg
Brownsburg, Indiana
After past performances at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (2021) and Bands of America Grand National Finals (2019 and 2022), The Sound of Brownsburg will be making its first New Year’s Day trip to Pasadena. With more than 200 student musicians, including high-achieving eighth graders, the ensemble from the Indianapolis suburb of Brownsburg also earned the prestigious Sudler Shield Award in 2021.
- Band director: Chris Kaflik
75. America250
Soaring Onward Together for 250 Years
(Fiesta Productions Inc.)
With New Year’s Day opening America’s semiquincentennial year, this 55-foot-long float features a botanically rich landscape inspired by the country’s natural beauty. The three larger-than-life bald eagles represent the past, present and future of the United States.
- Dimensions: 30 feet (height), 18 feet (width), 55 feet (length)
- Number of flowers: 500,000
Read more: Can a Rose Parade float help heal a politically fractured nation?
76. LAPD: Metropolitan Division Mounted Platoon
Los Angeles
Every day of the year, the Los Angeles Police Department’s Metropolitan Division Mounted Platoon is dedicated to crime suppression, community engagement and ceremonial duties across Los Angeles. But on New Year’s Day, they’ll have added duties: making their fourth Rose Parade appearance (after 2012, 2014 and 2018). The unit has a stable of quarter horses and Friesians, all trained for mounted deployment.
- Marshal: Anthony Daniel
- Breeds: American Quarter Horses, plus one Selle Francais and one Friesian
77. Kiwanis International
Happy Together
(Phoenix Decorating Company)
Making its 44th Rose Parade appearance, Kiwanis International has a quartet of hippos — a mama and her three youngsters — enjoying their time at a watering hole. They’re decorated with light- and dark-grey light lettuce seed, and pink and white fine-cut strawflower; the freckles are dark grey lettuce seed, and the eyes are black beans and white navy beans. The submerged hippos spin and bob, while the other baby hippo on land tilts.
Founded in 1915, Kiwanis International — with nearly 450,000 members in 83 nations and geographic areas — is dedicated to serving children, teens and young adults through a variety of initiatives including K-Kids, for students ages 6-12; Builders Club, for students ages 11-14; Key Club, for students ages 14-18; and Aktion Club, for adults with disabilities.
- Dimensions: 16 feet, 6 inches (height), 18 feet (width), 35 feet (length)
- Number of flowers: 14,500
78. Bands of America Honor Band
Indianapolis, Indiana
This 300-piece ensemble — with members representing each of the 50 states — includes winds, percussion and color guard. They were scheduled to get together in person for the first time on Dec. 27, for rehearsals and other activities, plus a performance a couple days later during Bandfest. This will be their sixth trip down Colorado Boulevard, after previously marching in 2005, 2009, 2013, 2017 and 2022.
- Band director: Richard Saucedo
79. Merced County Sheriff’s Posse
Merced, Calif.
Known for their striking golden Palomino horses and vintage rose red and crème uniforms — elaborately embroidered and adorned with rhinestones — the Merced County Sheriff’s Posse has appeared at several high-profile events including four presidential inauguration parades, most recently in January, and the 2022 Rose Parade. For each of the 25-plus members, community service is a tradition; they volunteer at local schools and support holiday toy drives, in addition to serving as part of a mounted search-and-rescue team.
- Marshal: Laurette Locke
- Breeds: American Saddlebred, American Quarter Horse
80. Shriners Children’s
Building Dreams Together
(Phoenix Decorating Company)
“Teamwork makes the dream work,” as the saying (and John C. Maxwell book) go; it’s also on display here, as a bear, deer, owl, raccoon and other creatures join forces to build a treehouse. Ditto when it comes to the treatment of youngsters with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries and other issues — work that Shriners Children’s does at locations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico plus outreach clinics throughout the world.
It’s the 14th float from Shriners Children’s, and there will be lots of movement to look out for, including a deer pulling a rope to raise and lower wood, a raccoon bounces up and down and the bear looks from side to side.
The 24,600 flowers and natural elements include treetops of green magnolia branches, and trunks and branches of brown coffee, reddish gold clover seeds and tan whole oats.
- Dimensions: 22 feet (height), 18 feet (width), 55 feet (length)
- Number of flowers: 24,600
81. Where Flowers and Football Meet
A child from Shriners Children’s was expected to throw a football to Ezra Sosa, from “Dancing with the Stars,” who will catch it alongside other children from Shriners Children’s — a moment that represents the handoff from the Rose Parade to the Granddaddy of Them All, the 112th Rose Bowl Game, which will feature Indiana University and the University of Alabama. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
82. Closing Show
Capital Cities, the Grammy-nominated, platinum-selling artist, and DEK of Hearts, the recently crowned Mic Drop winner on NBC’s “The Voice,” will bring the 137th Rose Parade to a high-energy close. Joining them will be 24 dancers tearing through a range of styles — from flappers to hip-hop — against the backdrop of classic cars spanning several eras.