2023 Rose Parade: Why It’s Not Happening on Jan. 1, How to Watch, and More
The Rose Parade is a New Year’s Day tradition. Every year, thousands of people line the streets of Pasadena, California, to watch the flower-decked floats go by. Many more tune in to watch the event on TV. But in 2023, the Rose Parade won’t happen on Jan. 1. Instead, the big event will take place on Monday, Jan. 2.
Why the 2023 Rose Parade won’t happen on New Year’s Day
Although most people think of the Rose Parade as a New Year’s Day tradition, it is occasionally held on Jan. 2. Back in 1893, New Year’s Day fell on a Sunday. At the time, parade organizers felt that holding the parade on Sunday would disrupt services at local churches, according to the Vallejo Times-Herald. (They also worried that the parade would spook horses tied up outside of houses of worship.) They pushed the parade to Jan. 2. Delaying the parade by a day whenever New Year’s Day falls on a Sunday is a tradition that’s continued ever since. So, because Jan. 1, 2023, is a Sunday, the 134th Rose Parade will take place on Monday, Jan. 2.
How to watch the 2023 Tournament of Roses Parade
The 134th Tournament of Rose Parade kicks off at 8 a.m. PT (11 a.m. ET). Elaborate flower-decorated floats, equestrian teams, and marching bands will travel 5½ miles down Colorado Blvd. in the parade. The Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association hosts the event.
You can watch the parade live on NBC beginning at 8 a.m. PT/11 a.m. ET. It will also stream on Peacock. This is the 96th year that NBC has broadcast the Rose Parade. The tradition began with a 1927 radio broadcast; television coverage began in 1954. (The first Rose Parade took place in 1891.)
In addition to NBC, the Rose Parade will air on ABC, Univision, RFD TV, Cowboy Channel, and KTLA, according to parade organizers.
Gabby Giffords is the parade’s grand marshal
Former Arizona congresswoman Gabby Giffords will serve as the grand marshal of the 2023 Rose Parade. According to parade organizers, her story of recovery after being shot in 2011 is the perfect illustration of the parade’s theme: “turning the corner.”
“It’s a tremendous honor to serve as the Grand Marshal of the 134th Rose Parade,” Giffords said in a statement. “I love the theme of ‘turning the corner’ — the idea that we all can make a conscious decision to go in a different direction, towards something better. This philosophy of moving ahead is one that I’ve tried to embody both in my personal journey of recovery since being shot in 2011 and in the fight for gun violence prevention that has become my life’s work.”
How to watch the Rose Bowl
After the parade, there’s another New Year’s tradition. The Penn State Nittany Lions will face the Utah Utes in the 109th Rose Bowl. The pre-game festivities begin at 1 p.m. PT (4 p.m. ET). The game will air live on ESPN.
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