Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade

[BIKERK9]

Attending the New Year Rose Parade in Pasadena can be extremely expen$ive, even if you coordinate with a tour or RV Caravan .

I attended the parade this year (Jan 1, 2014) and my cost was under $5.00. Parked for free on a side street (space opened up after 5 pm when workers went home) and used my own chair to see the parade.
I arrived with RV and toad in Pasadena on 30 Dec. Could of arrived earlier at no extra expense to see the sights.
A map of the parade route can be found with a search on-line. The two major streets of the parade are Colorado and Sierra Madre Blvd. A solid pink line is painted on the roadway showing the route for the drivers of the floats to follow. The moratorium on overnight parking of the streets was lifted after Christmas. Contact the Pasadena Police to get the exact date. Parking areas and sidewalks not posted are free to use.
I parked my RV on a side street about 50 yards from Sierra Madre and dry camped. Had to leave the RV slide in. On 31 Dec at approx 0930 am I set down my green carpet on the median/island so my chair would be facing west so the morning sun would not be in my eyes or cameras. Chairs and tents are not allowed to be erected till 12 noon. Some people used duct tape to mark their territory on sidewalks and concrete medians. I saw little orange wire flags in the grass areas. No rope is allowed. Once there you (a person) must stay with your stuff and guard your site throughout the nite. Everyone is friendly and watch each others stuff.
About 2 ft from the curb is a painted blue line which is the boundry/limit line into the street during the parade. On New Years eve, besides chairs; you will see on sidewalks and medians LPG heaters, BBQs, wood fires, tables, ice boxes, air mattresses, tents, blankets, and army cots. There is drinking but keep it on the down low (cups and can covers) as motorcycle and police cars are all over and people also call in to the non-emergency line of the Pasadena PD.
Vendors are there selling food and souvineers, Pennants $10, Official Program $10., & UNofficial Program which I bought for $2.
Parade floats passed by my chair within spitting distance and band marchers passed even closer. Once the Parade is over you can keep your RV parked on the street till the 3rd.
This was my first time attending the Parade and it was memorable!

If you choose to attend a Rose Parade, I recommend you arrive early or have someone there ahead of you to try and reserve a spot for your vehicle and space for your chairs or you'll end up in the back of the pack.
__________________

[WoodGlue]

I do remember about 10 years ago or so, that some college guys had set up their entire living room on the parade route. Complete with shag carpeting, sofas, easy chairs, cocktail tables and lamps. Looked pretty nice too!

I think the Pasadena Police have had people scale things back a bit since those days!

WoodGlue

[SCVJeff]

It can get interesting..Anything from tournament house, all the way around the corner at Orange Grove and a mile down is marked territory as you mention. Never been any further down than that during the parade, but it's amazing how late people show up on Orange in the morning and have a place to 'camp'. Parking at the head of the parade is next to impossible, but they're parking somewhere. In MY opinion, curbside seating is not all it's cracked up to other than bragging rights.. I've been front row on the street, several different places in the bleachers, and on the TV platforms, and I think the best view is not right on the street. The floats are just too big to really take em' all in when that close up. Smells great, but...

If you can survive the cold, spending New Year's Eve on Colorado is an interesting experience.

[BIKERK9]

SCVJeff wrote:
If you are bringing a car, consider staying at a nearby CG like Travel Village, or at least make the reservation if it can be cancelled. While there are plenty of campers further down the route, it can be a total crapshoot as well. Driving in and 3-4AMwill always get you a good seat. But recon the area and understand what's closed and what's not to avoid surprises.

You will not find any close or free street parking at 3-4AM. I viewed at 2 PM on 31 Dec (New Years Eve Day) that all front row seating on sidewalk and medians was already reserved/staked out.
If you want front row seating recommend being on site no later than 11 am and be prepared to guard/or have someone guard it throughout the night and morning to parade time.

[camper19709]

Thanks for the heads up! I have a panel van as a toad so it would be perfect to drive the van into town from a campground the night before.

[SCVJeff]

If you are bringing a car, consider staying at a nearby CG like Travel Village, or at least make the reservation if it can be cancelled. While there are plenty of campers further down the route, it can be a total crapshoot as well. Driving in and 3-4AM will always get you a good seat. But recon the area and understand what's closed and what's not to avoid surprises.

[ericsmith32]

Thanks for posting this! What you did is exactly what we're planning on doing during our 2015-2016 Cali trip. Hope we get as lucky finding a spot!

[SCVJeff]

Dont forget about Orange Grove from Tournment House. Between there and about a block past the turn on Colorado is where the floats and bands are really gonna shine and do whatever they do because of all the TV coverage. But on this side of town there ain't no way you will ever park an RV on any side street that close to the route. This entire area is reserved parking for blocks.

I worked that show for about 25 years, so we parked the motorhome directly behind the grandstands at Orange and Colorado for 5 or 6 years in the television and media compound, but got tired of various talent knocking on the door at 4AM thinking it was a honey wagon. IF you could buy that space, it would run a least $3,000 just to have Bob Eubanks knock on the door.. 🙂

Im sure its much calmer anywhere else .. 🙂

[richardwise]

Sounds like you had a great time. I watched it on tv, looked like some of the units and marchers were almost touching viewers.