New Year’s Eve Along Pasadena’s Rose Parade Route
New Year’s Eve in Pasadena is one giant block party. People who want a good spot for the Rose Parade begin their “sidewalk camping”at noon on New Years Eve and, if the weather is nice, upwards of a million people are on Colorado Blvd. by midnight.
Although Pasadena always seems to look clear and warm during the Parade, it can get pretty chilly overnight. “Pretty chilly” to us Pasadenians means in the 40s and 50s. Actually, in the 40s means “really cold.” Anyway you should bring jackets. Small fires are allowed if they are in a safe container but these are not big enough to keep you warm. You can barbecue and toast marshmallows. And speaking of marshmallows, throwing them is a long tradition but it is not legal.
It is not legal to drink or to have open containers, but people do. It is not legal to shoot off fireworks, but people do. Buying and selling horns is illegal but people do. There is a heavy police presence and sheriffs from the county augment the Pasadena Police. The crowds are very good-natured and arrests are usually alcohol related. Camping overnight on the Parade route is very safe. The Police are protecting you but they are not heavy handed.
Bring fold up chairs, food and drink at a minimum. Many people also bring sleeping bags. You cannot leave empty chairs or rope off areas. Chairs will be confiscated and ropes taken down. This is to prevent people from staking out an area and then going off to sleep in their own little beds. A good view of the Parade must be earned. People try to bring major pieces of furniture like couches but these are not allowed.
Everyone must stay on the sidewalk and by 10 or 11 PM the sidewalks bodies pack the sidewalks Walking through the bodies becomes very difficult because you might step on someone. You might want to make that last bathroom visit. Portapotties are located on side streets all along the Parade route.
By now you have met with and bonded with all your neighbors. People at the Parade are a cross section of America. There are grandparents and babies and people speak German, Armenian, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, and many other languages. On New Year’s Eve in Pasadena all these people get along.
As midnight approaches the crowd becomes electric. You can feel a giant thrum from those 1 million people. The crowd grows noisier and nosier until at midnight it erupts into the roar of a million Titans. The illegal horns are blasting and the illegal fireworks go off. Even if you haven’t had a drop to drink, you will be high off the energy of the crowd. It’s “Happy New Years World”.
Every so often Pasadena doesn’t celebrate New Year’s Eve on Colorado Blvd. Pasadena was founded by Sabbath observant Christians and the Tournament of Roses couldn’t be held on the Sabbath. Therefore, if January first happens to fall on a Sunday, the Rose Parade isn’t held until Monday. The crowds still gather overnight but it’s not quite the same thing.
