CALIFORNIA- Organizers of the Pasadena Rose Bowl Parade announced on Wednesday, July 15 that the Rose Association will be unable to host the 2021 New Years Day Rose Parade.
In their announcement, The Rose Association stated that “it is with reluctance and tremendous disappointment that the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association announces that, in accordance with Governor Newsom’s Phase IV re-opening schedule, and after thoughtful consideration of the restrictions and guidelines in place as a result of COVID-19, we are unable to host the 2021 Rose Parade.”
The Rose Parade is held each January 1 in celebration of a New Year. Since its debut in 1891, the Parade has been hosted every year except 1942, 1943 and 1945. Preparation for the event typically begins every February. The construction of the floats presented on parade day take several months to complete and typically require thousands of volunteers.
The Tournament of Roses commissioned a public safety report to assess the possibility of hosting the Rose Parade during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Public health officials from the Keck School of Medicine at USC reported that “even with intensive effort to ensure compliance with public health measures such as six-foot distancing and face masks, it is likely that Rose Parade would inevitably lead to large numbers of individuals in close proximity to each other, potentially, in some cases, without masks.”
The Rose Association is currently considering other ways to celebrate the New Year with fans of the parade. ,”We look forward to announcing further details about our exciting new plans in the coming weeks.”
