So you’re going to the Rose Parade.
Many choices lie ahead.
Buy a seat near the heart of the television spectacle at Orange Grove and Colorado boulevards, or rough it on free sidewalk space further down the parade route? Take a chance with street parking, or reserve a spot in advance?
Brave the freeways? Better know which ramps are closed.
The Rose Parade is expected to draw approximately 800,000 people to the streets of Pasadena on Jan. 2, some camping overnight to reserve a sidewalk spot. Tens of thousands more flock to the Rose Bowl Game. Crowds, traffic — it’s all part of the pageantry, and not much to worry about once you know the ropes.
WHO YOU GONNA CALL: For the past 28 years, the Pasadena Convention & Visitors Bureau’s special Visitor Hotline — (877) 793-9911 — has been the go-to resource for instant answers to almost any parade-related question. More than five dozen volunteers man phone lines from Dec. 30 to Jan. 3, advising on everything from disability accommodations to where to find fresh pan dulce and hot chocolate the morning of the parade (it’s Doña Rosa, at 577 S. Arroyo Pkwy.). The line is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on New Year’s Day, and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on parade day and Jan. 3. Prefer to plan ahead? Download the volunteers’ 82-page reference guide at www.visitpasadena.com.
