Rose Bowl Parade 2023: why is it not on 1 January? When it will take place, route, start time

The Rose Parade will be returning to help usher in 2023.

Dubbed ‘America’s New Year’s Celebration’, the event has been running for over a century. However fans tuning in on Sunday (1 January) expecting to see the parade, will be in for a surprise.

For 2023, the Rose Parade will actually take place on 2 January, instead of its usual date. It will once again be followed by the Rose Bowl game.

If you are heading down to the event or planning to watch on the TV, here is all you need to know:

Where is the Rose Parade and what is the route?

The Rose Parade takes place in Pasadena, California. It is in its 134th year, having first been staged by the Valley Hunt Club in 1890.

It will be followed by the Rose Bowl, Utah will take on Penn State in the College Football bowl game. Prior to the creation of the Rose Bowl, the parade was followed by a chariot race.

The parade is five and a half miles long in total, it begins at the corner of Green Street and Orange Grove Blvd. The parade travels north on Orange Grove Blvd. at a leisurely two and a half mile per hour pace and then turns east onto Colorado Blvd., where the majority of the parade viewing takes place.

It will conclude at Sierra Madre Blvd.

What time is the Rose Parade?

In 2023, the event will take place on Monday (2 January) instead of the traditional Sunday slot. It will begin at 8am and last for two hours until 10am.

The Rose Bowl will follow at 2pm and there will then be Floatfest: A Rose Parade showcase from 1pm to 5pm, with last entry at 4pm. It will take place in Pasadena.

Do you need a ticket to watch the Rose Parade?

If you want to sit in the grandstand you will need to purchase a ticket. Visit Pasadena’s website explains: “Grandstand seating tickets and advance parking reservations are available through Sharp Seating, the official ticket office for the Tournament of Roses. Prices vary by location from $70 to $120. Tip: Purchase your parking through Sharp Seating to select a parking location near your seats.”

For those who want to watch the parade come by for free, you can stand curbside and watch all the action. However it is a first come first service system and you can’t reserve a space.

Is the Rose Parade on TV?

The parade will be broadcast live across a number of domestic broadcasters on 2 January 2023. It includes:

Consult your local TV guide for the latest information on the times and broadcast information. It will also be shown live in Armenia, the Caribbean, Latin America and on American Forces Network.

Why is the Rose Parade not on 1 January?

The annual parade traditionally takes place on New Year’s Day. However in 2023, it will instead take place on Monday (2 January).

It is because the event has a ‘never on Sunday’ rule. Dating back to 1893, which was the first year the parade fell on a Sunday, it was decided that the parade might spook horses outside churches among the route and disrupt services.

The organisers introduced a rule that the Rose Parade should never take place on a Sunday and it remains in palce to this day. The 2023 edition of the parade is the 20th time that it has been shifted to 2 January.