If you don't want to deal with the Rose Parade crowds and craziness and just want to see the floats, come here instead. You can get very up close and personal with the floats. They smell heavenly! There are volunteers which will give you brochures and tell you about them. Going can be tricky. Park at Pasadena City College and take a free shuttle. There are plenty of food trucks and bathrooms. There's a movie theater where you can see the history of the parade and take a break. Prepare for lots of walking. It's 2 miles to see them all. There are no places to sit so plan accordingly. You can bring food and drinks or buy them. There's lots of hospitality people. You can't bring wagons or pets. read more

Go in expecting a giant crowd and lots and lots of walking. I'm glad we got tickets even though we were up since 4am and were exhausted. This is a must see. You get to see the floats up close in the day light. Prior we saw lots up close, but it was very dark out and hard to see. Here is your opportunity to really see the floats and learn more about them. The staff are so happy to share. The place is full of freebies too. Wells Fargo was giving away ponies and phone gadgets. There were also several places taking and giving you pictures like Wells Fargo and Miracle Grow. Miracle Grow also had a kids activity booth and everyone was going for samples and plants. There we so many fun booths. I loved this part, it was a treat. I love my pony. Souvenirs: Each booth is individually run by a group fundraising, thus they have different things to sell and it's all legit. No knock offs, just resellers. Food: They had lots of food booth/trucks so you won't go hungry. Plan on spending a few hours or more there depending on how many floats you want to see. Be prepared to get there early and stand in line to get in. If you prepay your tickets it's faster. You can even buy them while waiting in line on your phone. Parking: We parked on the street and walked a couple of blocks to avoid traffic. It was worth it as it was easy in and out and no waiting in line more then we needed to. Parking is $10-15 depending on which church/school/ect. lot you park in. The two women in front of us had the right idea. Watch the parade in bed and then come see the floats that caught their eye. They were well rested. If you don't love walking in fields, this isn't for you. It's a lot of walking on uneven surfaces. It was worth the entrance fee. read more

Go on the second day and avoid a bajillion people, though it'll still be fairly crowded. The floats were awesome. The amount of detail that goes into some of these things boggles the mind. The food options there are similar to what you'd find at a County fair, but there's less of it. read more

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I try to view the floats every year after the Rose Parade. When I was younger I loved the experience of camping out and freezing my butt off on Colorado Boulevard waiting for the floats, but sleeping in and visiting them the next day is now more my style. Finding parking on the street is very hard, I paid $5 to park in a private lot and still had to walk a little distance. Tickets to the viewing are $10. This process is a little sloppy. There are long lines and many ticket windows are open, but everyone just kinda corrals into an area and merges into a couple lines. This process will take about a half hour. This year it was hot, so bring a hat , sunscreen , and water. The floats are beautiful up close and personal. You can see the intricate work and precision with the flower placement. Did I mention the smell? The area smells very floral. It is a very comforting and present smell. Feel free to take up close and personal pictures. Sometimes the people associated with the float are there and you can meet and talk to them. Yes there is food there. They have your usual fair type foods : kettle corn , cotton candy, churros, tacos, drinks , ice cream etc. This viewing is fun for the young and old. It is very wheelchair accessible. The whole process lasts approximately 2 hours from ticket purchase . read more

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**This is a review for the POST Parade float viewing at Washington and Sierra Madre.** I just wanted to make sure that was clear since Cindi R. reviewed the PRE one and I wanted to give another perspective from my first experience at the Post Parade one. I attended on January 2nd. I did talk to friends who had previously attended. If you have a senior citizen or handi-capable person with you, can can attend beginning at 7 am, before it opens to the general public at 9 am. Boy, what a difference that made. Since I'm in Orange County and had to pick up my senior citizen on the way, I didn't get there as early as I would've liked. For 2013, there were three park and ride locations, and I chose the one at Pasadena City College since it was relatively close to the float viewing site and the 210. It was really easy with signs and people directing you where to park and go. At 8:30, we basically walked up to the tent where they were selling tickets ($10/person +$3 shuttle ride = $13 grand total/person), and hopped on the bus. The ride there was about 15 minutes long and they dropped you off right at one of the entrances. Super easy and non-stressful. It really does take at least two hours to see everything, taking into account that you want to stop and take pictures, smell all the roses, ask the Rose Parade people in the white suits a bunch of random questions, etc. Around 10:30 or so, it started to get really hot and by the time we were headed back to the shuttle, omg, there were so many people as far as the eye could see. In the morning, the people "manning" the floats were dying for people to talk to since there were only a few of us milling around and you could really get up close (and take pictures without people photo bombing your shots), but by the time we were leaving around noon, there was no way. It is a lot of walking, so if you have a senior citizen with you, keep that in mind. Easy shuttle ride back to the car, but the lines to get onto the shuttle were now Disneyland-esque and wound around and around. Total opposite from the morning where we just walked up, bought our tickets and hopped on the bus. Check their website before you go and you can plan on which lot you want to park in. Pay the $3, it's worth the money, unless you know of some super secret awesome parking. In which case, I would recommend you keep it to yourself, and just send me a private message as to where it is :) read more

This was our first year going, we went on the day of the parade. The place opened at 1pm and we got to their suggested parking spot at around 1:40 pm, the parking is in Pasadena College which is like 3 miles away from the venue, parking was free. We bought tickets online but they were also selling tickets at the parking lot. So the line to get into the shuttles to go to the parade was LONG we waited 1.5 hours, (we should have just ubered). There were plenty of shuttles but there was just so much people! Anyways, when we finally got to the floats there was no wait to get in, I guess you go to a different entrance when you use the shuttle. We got to the floats at around 3:30 and the venue closes at 5pm. There were so much people! it was like main street at disneyland during the holidays. They have food vendors as well. We had 3 kids with us aged 8-13 and they enjoyed seeing the floats as much as we did! There were around 50 floats but the venue was huge we had to do a lot of walking! The shuttles take you back to the parking lot and we waited around 30 minutes. Overall, I would go again but next time I will come early and I will go the day after the parade maybe there will be less people! read more

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Can't make it to Pasadena on New Year's Day to watch the Rose Parade? Yeah, we couldn't make it here either. We stopped by the next day to view the floats. Go there early to beat the crowds. We arrived about an hour after they opened. For the first 2 hours, I enjoyed it. Over the next 2 hours, it was not so fun. The crowds kept growing. By 1pm, it was "wall to wall" people! I think that it is worth the price of admission if there are no crowds. Before noon, we got some great views and pics of the floats. After that, we were just trying to navigate through the mass of people. Do I recommend going to Pasadena to view the floats? Everyone should witness the beauty and workmanship of the Rose Parade floats at least once in their lifetime so Yes!! Note that you the Rose Parade Float viewing is only open the afternoon after the Parade, and the following two days after the Parade. If you miss it. then you have to wait til next year, read more

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"I've always wanted to do that" is what I thought and what I heard from so many people. And so I'm the kind of person who actually ticks off that list and this year it was time to go see the floats up close and personal. I went with a gf and her two kids on Thur Jan 2. We arrived at ~10:20 am and used the park and ride at Pasadena City College (one hour drive from NB at 9 am). Signage to the parking lot and volunteers made it very easy to figure out where to park, where to go next, where to pee, where to pay, where to board the bus, etc. At 10:30 we waited a total of 2 min for the shuttle bus which took 6 mins to arrive at the drop off. Comfortable and easy! $10 per person, if you're over 5, and $3 shuttle per person. For a one-time, tick off the 'I've always wanted to do that' list, this was fine for me. You probably could find street parking but I'm from behind the Orange Curtain and decided to leave it to others who knew better. There are two .25 mile road sections in an L shape with floats and one circular area with Winners' circle floats (or something like that). They say it takes 2.5 hours to do the whole walk but we just did one part and the winners' circle, sat to consume drinks and Kettlecorn and cool down. We were done after 2.5 hours. There were so many volunteers, port-a-potties, first-aid and all kinds of support to keep the event running smoothly, from what I could tell. I do recommend arriving as early as possible to avoid crowds and heat, wearing a hat and good shoes, leaving your glass botles at home, and bringing your curiosity! It was neat to learn about things like how they turned rice into paint and about the organ donors/recipients represented by the Donate Life organization. The floats are lovely up front; you can really get a sense of the tremendous work and endless hours it takes to build those floats. (I imagine there are a plethora of other things those volunteer hours could go towards, but for organizations like Donate Life who use the event to raise awareness, I'm OK with it.) We had lunch in Pasadena (using Yelp of course) and sped home to recover some more from NY! read more

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It's been over 20 years since we've done the post-parade viewing. This can be an enjoyable experience if you make the effort to get there first thing in the morning. Since we're somewhat close to senior citizen age, we thought we could maybe get away with getting in early for the 7-9am viewing (for Senior & Disabled guests). Turned out that we didn't have to worry about being turned away because they were letting everyone in. Getting there at 7am gives you plenty of room to enjoy the floats up close. We were taking our sweet time and couldn't help but notice the crowd getting bigger by the minute. By 8:30, it was already looking like this- http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/rose-parade-float-viewing-pasadena?select=y3FumxEAK6Rght5MHqIesg which was still a half hour before the 9am general public opening. Getting there early also gives you plenty of easy parking options. We found free street parking two blocks away from the Red Gate entrance. There are shuttle services if you come later. Look at the link below to find out how to access those. There's also some nearby paid lots (run by community groups). We saw those going for $10-20. Some enterprising residents also were offering spots in their driveways for a price. Porta-potties. They're all over the place. Another perk of going early is that they're tidy and not as gross as they would be later in the day. My favorite float of the day was the excellent replica of Downton Abbey. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/rose-parade-float-viewing-pasadena?select=lvLfc0clcLN7ckgmBVUhdw There were character stand-ups and folks were having fun taking pics with them. Of course I had to pose with Dame Maggie! They were giving out souvenir cups & English teas too. (I'm sipping on a lovely herbal blend at the moment.) Friendly volunteers (white suits) are all over the place, happy to answer any questions about the floats. Plenty of snack options. We really had a good time! (mostly because we went early) This was a 2-hour adventure that logged a bit over 9,000 steps on my pedometer. http://www.tournamentofroses.com/events/post-parade read more

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Always wanted to see the Rose Parade live but never wanted to camp out overnight? Well then the Rose Parade Float Viewing is just the thing for you! So glad I found out about this! Parked at one of the shuttle locations and paid $3 for shuttle and $10 for admission. There were several porta-potties at the shuttle location and throughout the float viewing areas. The great thing about the float viewing is that you can actually get us close and personal and take pictures in front of the floats. The downside is that you don't get the full effect of live band music and float animation that you would see at the parade. We were lucky and they did animate the Hawaiian float which was cool because the volcanoes had flames blasting out of them. Food carts are all over the place but they are pretty pricey! Water was $3 a bottle, Soda $4 bottle, hot dogs $6! They did have 2 free water stations so we were lucky we decided to hold off buying water. Couldn't resist buying the kettle corn however. $4 for a small bag. I would recommend this to anyone in the future. read more

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The line is ridiculous. Even with a ticket you have to line up in a different zip code. Not coming back to this shit show and will not recommend it to anyone else. Totally incompetent organizers. read more

Float Fest - Only 5 clowns checking tickets. - Festivals Near Me - Pasadena, California

I stand by my previous review for the pre-parade float viewing. Just don't do it. However, I want to reiterate that a good time can be had at the post-parade float viewing, IF you get there when it opens the day after the parade. Take a senior citizen with you and get there 2 hours before it opens - even better. Happy New Year!!! read more

Definitely worth seeing. Arrived a little later than I would have wanted to but parking was easy. Recommend parking at PCC, buy your tickets and shuttle pass (covers your entrance and shuttle to and from). Everything seems pretty well organized and staff is helpful. Great way to see the floats up close, TV does not do them justice. The amount of work, design and detail that goes into each float is amazing. It does get crowded, so arrive early. read more

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The TV really doesn't do these floats justice. Seeing the beautiful flowers live, and up so close, was just amazing. They are quite beautiful and impressively made. Why the 3 stars? They don't allow umbrellas, although there were people with umbrellas who supposedly have medical reasons, but they really didn't all look like medical necessities. If you get a subscription to the LA times inside, you can take the umbrella they give. That's stupid. All this would have been fine had it been clearly written on line, which it was not. They said it was, but I didn't see it. Or they could have had signs where the shuttles were so I could have gotten a hat, but here was nothing. So my day was ruined by the heat. It's $13 per person for a shuttle ride and entrance fee. It's worth doing the shuttle instead of trying to park near the site since there is nothing close. Kids 5 and under are free. We got there around 11, but by the time we left around 12:30, the crowds were crushing. It just became claustrophobic. If you can't go very early, I wouldn't bother. It was worth doing once, but I wouldn't do it again. read more

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Horrible 1 hour delay... BUT we still had fun viewing all the beautiful floats. My first time and I loved it. Thank you to those who volunteer/donated their time, money and effort to make 2016 rose parade happen. read more

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You're either gonna go coz you like this stuff or not, so there's no use in me saying whether it's worth it or not. And obviously the floats change every year, so YOU DO YOU. However, if you do go, here are my Top 11 Tips that likely would apply every year: 1) If you decide to park at Pasadena City College (PCC) to take the free shuttle to the Post Parade, get there as early as possible to get in line. I'm talking by noon even before the shuttles start. Or if you went to the parade, maybe grab a to-go lunch, and go to PCC to get in line right away, and eat lunch in line LOL. The line for the shuttles is 10x worse than Space Mountain on a peak Saturday during summer school break. There's also a bit of a line for cars to even get into PCC to park in the garage. We got there around 1pm. By the time we got through the car line, parked, navigated our way to the people line for the shuttles, it was probably 1:30pm? By the time we got on a shuttle it was like 3:30pm, so we were in that shuttle line for 2 hours. If you get there any later than we did at around 1pm, you might be turned away and refunded. We looked back and realized all the people in line behind us were gone!! I guess they guesstimate who will be able to get to the Post Parade in time to see the floats before it ends at 5pm, and then turn everyone else away. The guy said they turned about 2,000 people in line down. EARLY BIRD GETS THE WORM!! Another option is to consider going on January 2nd, instead of the 1st IF January 2nd is a weekday, as people usually have to go back to work. If it's a weekend, you'll prolly have the same line issue. 2) Although they have signs and machines to buy parking permits in the PCC parking garage, we did no such thing and were not ticketed. It looked like the majority weren't paying for parking either, so I believe it's free (the website only says the shuttles are free, but no mention of the parking). We did see a handful of people go to the machines to pay for permits and we did see green parking permits on some cars (for the Parade though, not the Post Parade), but I'm just gonna say parking is free. 3) PCC is NOT walkable to where the floats are located so don't even think about walking from PCC if you get overwhelmed by the line for the shuttles. It was surprisingly like a 10 or 15 minute drive from PCC to the floats. Also, the neighborhood around the Post Parade area has restricted parking, so you can opt to park closer to the Post Parade area and forego the shuttles, but you'll still have to walk a bit. The area is really obscure to find too. Uber/Lyft might be a good option, but I don't know how close they let ridesharing vehicles get to the Post Parade area. 4) The Post Parade ends at 5pm and it will not be extended for any reason, probably because it starts getting dark. 5) Going earlier in the day is better for lighting. As it gets closer to 5pm, the sunset starts. Although the sunset is beautiful and some floats look amazing during that "golden hour", depending on their orientation, others are super back-lit so photos of the floats aren't as good. 6) If you have a specific float you want to see that you saw in the parade, take note of the company or sponsor of the float. They give you a float map at the Post Parade, but the floats are named by their sponsor/company, not by what the float depicts. So if your kid wants to see "the one with the big dog wagging it's tail", good luck with that lol! 7) Bring a water bottle! They have water tanks that give you water, but the cups are those tiny cone cups so it's better to bring a bottle and just fill it up at the water station. 8) Eat lunch before you go. They have a few food options, but mostly for snacking like kettle corn, churros, and pretzels. 9) To see all the floats, you'll likely need about 2 - 3 hours depending on the speed at which you view and walk. Due to the PCC shutte line, we got there around 3:45pm and saw maybe 2/3 or 3/4 of the floats in the hour and 15 minutes we had. The floats are pretty spread out. 10) There are volunteers in white standing next to every float, so if you have a question, they can answer it! 11) Although they weirdly don't make it clear on the website, YES, the shuttles do take you back to PCC and the other remote parking location. Just remember what entrance you came in and make sure to catch the shuttles back at that entrance. For 2018, it was the blue, green, and red entrances. read more

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This year is my first time going to the rose parade float viewing. My family and I parked a few blocks away in a neighborhood and walked inside. You can also park in PCC and take the shuttle. The line for the ticket wrapped around the entrance but I felt like some people cut the line and went straight in because there was no barriers and it was somewhat unorganized. The viewing is between 1-4pm. It's not the actual rose parade. That's a different ticket that you have to buy in advance. Highly recommend to find parking early and get in line as soon as 1pm because it will get packed. I got in line at 1:10pm. Waited in line for almost an hour. Admission ticket is $13 per person. 5 yrs and under is free. There was over 50 floats parked probably in 2 miles. It's nice to get close up and be able to take pictures with the floats. All the flowers are beautiful. read more

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I am absolutely goosebumped seeing all the floats. Coming from the Inland Empire area, all 3 of us split an Uber fare going to Pasadena. This turned out to be a good thing as we were dropped of near the entrance to the Float Exhibits. If you want to watch the parade without paying to go inside you have to secure your spot here real early. Parking will be a challenge as they close a lot of streets. Most houses near the area offer parking in their lawn for $5 which is a not a bad deal. Also go in line early before the exhibit opens as people will swarm in and you won't have good photos of the floats all to yourself. I was lucky to be the FIRST in line hehhe. I will definitely go again next year. Please check out the photos I shared. read more

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I have been saying I was gonna go to see The Tournament of Rose parade flowers for literally 30 years! I decided THIS was my year, 2017-2018, come Hell or high water, I was gonna go! Parking was a breeze as well. My girls went with me. We had a Terrific time! The flowers were Amazing! You could almost touch them. There was a crowd of course but with so much to see, it didn't feel crowded. I learned a lot about what types of materials went into the making of the floats. The other night on the news, a volunteer was being interviewed. They showed what float she was working on and I saw the float in living color and exactly what the lady had done, it was very special. Dragons, bunny's, pandas, Wishing trees, birds, butterfly, oh and the cutest purple monkey eating a banana! They had vendors with hot dogs/ pretzels, we even got to spin a wheel for free American Beauty pasta company! We won 2 pounds of spaghetti! Lol IF you EVER get a chance to go to this truly Spectator Los Angeles iconic Institute, GO GO GO!! You will be glad you did! THANK YOU TOURNAMENT OF ROSES, HAPPY NEW YEAR! read more

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I love the Rose Parade!! It has been tradition (most years) for my family and I to come see the floats before the parade. It is so cool to see them up close. It is definitely awesome to see them on TV, but way better to see them in person. It is fascinating the time and effort put into making them. The creativity and the materials they use. I love that they are all made out of plants (flower, seeds, etc.). So fascinating! I would love to one day work on a float - what a cool experience to be a part of! read more

It was a nice way to get out with the family and see the floats, there were many restrooms available and a few carts with food items, the floats are beautiful, i think it was a little over priced for the experience. read more

It was a beautiful day to go. Have not been here in over 30 yrs and it brought back childhood memories. The floats were so gorgeous and detailed. I got to see every rosebud and petal on them. It was truly a work of art and love done by dedicated volunteers. read more

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This was my second year attending the post-parade event. Unfortunately last year was much better. Why? (1) My husband and I came earlier last year, arriving about 7:25 a.m. for the special early opening for seniors/disabled. This year I went with my kids and 13-month-old granddaughter and we did not make it there until 10 a.m. BIG MISTAKE. (2) Last year there was an extra day for post-float viewing; not this year, so there were many more people packed into 1 1/2 days (right after the parade and 1/2/18). We *were* able to find street parking in the nearby neighborhood, even at 10 a.m., despite it being trash day and a lot of curb space taken up by residents' trash cans. Some appeared to have spread them out on purpose to use up the curb parking. Last year we parked much closer. We had a bit of a hike to the red gate at Sierra Madre. My fitness watch clocked the walk at just under .4 miles. I had bought tickets on line, which in retrospect was a waste of $6 convenience fees; there was a very short line at the ticket booth so I could have bought tickets there. They have hiked the price $2 from last year - it's now $15 per person. We entered and almost immediately saw that the crowds had beaten us there. At no time did we have a float to ourselves, or almost to ourselves, as we did last year. As the morning wore on, the crowds got thicker. By the time we decided to leave at 11:45 a.m., you had to push to get anywhere near a float. It was unseasonably warm - in the mid to high 70's - and we were hot. The baby was very cranky. As we hiked to our car, we saw lots of people heading toward the floats. I can only imagine how packed it got later in the day. I love seeing the floats up close and finding out how they are made. I still managed to take lots of photos and enjoy the floats, although the masses were quite distracting. Lesson learned: Get there earlier!!! read more

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I'll start off 2017 with a review of the Rose Parade....... floats! It's been many, many, MANY years since I've come up to look at the floats after the Rose Parade. I decided this was the year to go again and brought my friend to check them out. The Good: Getting to see the floats up close! The Bad: Long lines, LOTS of people and tickets are now $13 each. By the time we had our tickets in hand, we had stood in line for an hour. The gates were supposed to open at 1pm, but there was a delay of 30-40 minutes for some reason. https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/rose-parade-float-viewing-pasadena?select=FAcMumyJLg-nl54_lAVpsg https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/rose-parade-float-viewing-pasadena?select=3e9KUtCBQ9H2U6uTR3LUgA All the beautiful floats were on display and it was really great to see the fine detail close up! Plus a few of them were "running" with the animation moving. https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/rose-parade-float-viewing-pasadena?select=92xBdG_WA1daGduuTRkpfg https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/rose-parade-float-viewing-pasadena?select=sAGTK5W_uduBy2iukEwB5w https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/rose-parade-float-viewing-pasadena?select=7MEGkouZkfxCck07mhwtCw https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/rose-parade-float-viewing-pasadena?select=hfNiQh3C0gZTSIwn-gYevw https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/rose-parade-float-viewing-pasadena?select=m7dsS6Iu6XVQBJJHd5m4sA https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/rose-parade-float-viewing-pasadena?select=libXwrmhivGLFl0Sy1K4gQ https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/rose-parade-float-viewing-pasadena?select=9HkuuaEE4zuARts6yzc4ng https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/rose-parade-float-viewing-pasadena?select=obiiQKoew9TSLILbVXu_xw https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/rose-parade-float-viewing-pasadena?select=HltEcGFvBHwW5xCZZ1xNTQ https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/rose-parade-float-viewing-pasadena?select=HNftvEqSXYMIkfROAOZZNg https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/rose-parade-float-viewing-pasadena?select=oWL4rtf8zsC4m7vhq318IQ https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/rose-parade-float-viewing-pasadena?select=4BceWMHbTzh339FFSjTPjw Weighing 74 tons and stretching 126 feet, this float is the longest and heaviest in Rose Parade history! The best part was the pool, wave machine and surfing dogs! https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/rose-parade-float-viewing-pasadena?select=oTWRW25Yktt5VPshmU5vwA https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/rose-parade-float-viewing-pasadena?select=3FdBAXu6QbqzqG9vh2zaFg OVERALL: It's great to see the floats from the 128th Rose Parade up close right after the parade while all the plants and flowers are still fresh. Just be prepared to walk a lot! read more

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One of my wife's great memories was taking the kids to see the floats after the Rose parade. It used to be free, now they charge $20 per person. We showed up at 3:20 and they wouldn't let us buy tickets as the place closes at 5. Doubly disappointed; $20 is robbery but they would t even let us be robbed. Came all the way from San Diego. The Greed of those who overcharge for this non-event is staggering. The floats are beautiful and the parade is a classic but the idea of charging $20 just to walk around and look at floats is almost unimaginable. read more

It was our first time at the Post Parade. I took my family and we really had a great time. It was crowded but the floats are easily seen from every spot. I loved seeing all the floats up close and my children enjoyed the free stuffed animals and the free children's books. They also have the collector's cards with the floats in them as keepsakes. I would recommend coming to this event at least once. The tickets are sold online or on site. It's 15 dollars a person and children under 5 are free. They have buses to take you to the area so you can park at Pasadena city college and ride there. We got lucky and parked on the street. 5 stars read more

Purchasing tickets online was near impossible, and So Not Worth having attempted to go, to only experience Inconsiderate Rose Parade Staff Members that refused to let one in, when there was 20 remaining till closing. Never Again! read more

Everyone I talked to were very pleased after seeing the floats. The people running the lines to get on the tram were very helpful and cheerful read more

This was my first time to ever see the Rose Parade floats close-up and I was pretty impressed with all of the floats and was happy being a part of that "once-in-a-lifetime" experience. Normally, I would just watch the Rose Parade on TV at home instead of dealing with the crowd, the lines, and the crazy parking. However, we were so fortunate to have relatives visit L.A. at this certain time that we had to experience watching the floats in all their glory! Upon reading ahead of time that these floats were situated for 2 long miles, we made sure to have our running/walking shoes ready to endure the long walk! Instead of dealing with the long wait for the shuttle and the hard-to-find parking at Pasadena, we decided to just take an UBER ride to get there. Upon entering the area we were amazed and fascinated with the flowery detail of each float. Watching these floats on TV did not serve justice! While we witnessed each beautiful float, there were vendors giving out freebies such as chocolate milk, vendors selling food such as delicious kettle popcorn, and vendors having games for people to get freebies such as the one from 24-hour Fitness. There was also heightened security everywhere in the area and beyond such as CHP, Pasadena Police, and Homeland Security. I can definitely see this as a safe family-friendly tradition for those in the local area. The one thing I did not like was the portable bathrooms because they did not have a nearby area to wash my hands after using the toilet. Definitely bring your hand sanitizer to this place!!! Furthermore, this place was really crowded like Disneyland status. Be ready for that! P.S. It was $13 to get in. read more

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Supposed to open at 1:00, but at about 1:20 word started circulating through the growing line that the fire Marshall hadn't given the OK to open the gates. Two lines, one for "have tickets" and one for "need to buy tickets", but there was no access to the ticket booth until they opened. There was no security control of the growing lines, and bus after bus kept arriving and dumping loads of people into the mix, and with no direction for these people, they went to the front of the lines, to be told by the people who were waiting that they had to go to the back of the line. It was surprising that with all the news of an "increased police presence" at the parade that they couldn't even post a security guard in line to keep it under control. By 1:45 the gates still hadn't opened. Everyone was becoming increasingly aggravated and any control of the lines was about lost. My wife and I gave up and left the free-for-all when a fight nearly broke out. As we walked back, both lines were several blocks long. Also, in previous years, you could at least look through the chain link fences at the floats. This year, they screened off the fences to keep people from seeing the floats unless they paid to get in. Greedy move, Tournament of Roses... Not worth risking my family's safety if they can't even provide police or security for the people trying to get in. read more

Horrible. Disorganized. Appalling. I went to the post-parade with my wife and her parents and we all turned back at the entrance gate and went home indignant. The entrance gate and a security guard channelled people into two groups, those paying cash and a catch-all line where all forms of payment were accepted. I got in line to pay cash and, a bit irked by the disorganization and ppl cutting in line, waited patiently to buy my tickets. There were no dividers/barricades to channel ppl into lines, leading up to the ticket booth, so a mass of ppl just converged to buy tickets at each of the four windows. I was two people away from buying my tickets when an unsavory ogre-looking fellow, RICK NORDSTROM, a sorry excuse of a white-suiter, announced that he was shutting down the cash-paying line. The reasonable cut-off point, I thought, was the END of the cash-paying line. But with no regard for the time and toil of those of us who had waited in line about 20 minutes, Rick went to the front of the line and told the ticket sellers to stop selling tickets b/c "people don't listen." Someone asked him "well is our place in line going to be honored at the other line since we've been waiting in line awhile." Rick simply dismissed her and told her to go to the other line. His condescension was unnerving! Since my father in law is recovering from knee surgery, we decided to leave. As we exited, we could hear Rick saying rudely "why didn't people buy their tickets online?" Well, why sell tickets at the door if the arrogant 'white-suiter' in charge of the area is going to become overwhelmed and unable to properly and respectfully control the crowd? A dismayed woman was trying to ask him if she could buy the ticket with her phone and gain entry with the purchase confirmation. Rick dismissed her and told her to "go home, buy her ticket online and come back tomorrow." My wife asked Bob Perez, a respectful and respectable white-suiter, how we could file a complaint. When my wife described Rick's brutish demeanor to Bob, he, who apparently is no stranger to Rick's sleaze, explained the process. I feel sorry for the people who came from out of town for this event, but I feel more sorry for RICK NORDSTROM, who probably went home with a sense of misguided pride thinking very highly of himself for the way he handled the situation. read more

We came with tickets and the lines to get in were nearly a mile long! Ranging all the way into the neighborhoods. Otherwise great.

I worked at the float viewing area in 2016. The organization of this event was horrible. The thousands in line were confused, making them rude and pissed off at the delay in opening. Once it was open hundreds started cutting into lines making the courteous people upset. The people in white DO NOT know how to coordinate an entry gate. They were nowhere to be seen when the rush started... Advise: have a gate designated for those with tickets and for those who need to purchase tickets.. You need more barricades!!! You need handicap access... You cannot make exceptions for some and not give the same exception for others, People see that, then complain when they are not given the same exception. LEAVE THE ORGANIZATION TO THE PROFESSIONALS, LISTEN TO ADVISE, AND DO NOT CHANGE THE PLAN MID-GAME. I hope I never work this venue again. read more

Awwww, just an amazing work and the flowers are beautiful. -1 star for overly crowded -1 star for having to put a large and tall fence around the floats and it pretty much in almost every pictures. read more

The Rose Parade is a quintessential SoCal event and viewing the floats on the days after the parade is a great way to experience the floats up close and personal. I've decorated a float before, viewed the floats being decorated at the Rose Bowl, watched the parade in person, and now seen the floats after the parade, and aside from being at the parade, the post-parade viewing is the best way to go. PARKING: Parking is the one major downfall of the post-parade viewing experience. You can either park in the neighborhoods near the viewing area and walk, or you can park offsite and take a shuttle. We did the park and ride from Pasadena City College. Parking itself is free and the shuttle costs $3/person roundtrip. The problem is that you have to wait in line to buy a shuttle ticket and wait in another line to get on the bus. All told, the process took about an hour to get to our final destination (and the lines behind us were worse than the lines we faced). Next time I'll try parking on the streets and hoofing it. FLOATS: Other than the fact that the floats are physically cordoned off so you can't try to climb on them you can really get as close as you want to the floats so you can see all the beautiful roses and detail work used to make the floats so beautiful. There are tons of picture-taking opportunities, and tons of people ready to crowd in front of you just as you are about to take that perfect picture. Maps are handed out for free and there are plenty of volunteers in white suits in case you have questions. Many of the floats often have additional volunteers who are all ready to tell you all about the floats. In 2016, kids could collect stamps at certain floats in order to earn a Junior Ranger badge from the National Park Service (just as you would at a National Park). Even without this, kids really get a kick out of seeing the floats up close especially if they've already seen them on TV. CONCESSIONS: There is a huge range of snacks and food you can buy onsite, but the prices are outrageous (as much or more than ballpark pricing) so be prepared. They allow you to bring food and drink in your purse/backpack. read more

A neat time. There is walking, sunshine, some free water, expensive frozen lemonade, porta potties, limited parking (but also shuttles from parking lots), a quick-moving ticket line, a sound system, band, couple of food vendors, and an amicable crowd that will try to accommodate your photo taking, though some areas are a little tight for space. I went this year on Jan. 2, a Friday, and the crowds were manageable, so I was able to get near to the floats to see the flowers, which luckily had not drastically wilted as it was pretty cold at night around New Year's. The price this year was $10 a person. read more

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If you don't want to wake up early and watch the parade on a cold New Year's morning, this is your way to go. The floats are lined up on the street by Pasadena High School. Parking is nuts. You can choose to pay for prime parking in the church and school parking lots, neighborhood people are charging for you to park on their lawns or driveways, or park far on the street. We chose to park on the street. It costs $10 per person to enter to see the floats which is a bit pricey in my opinion. There are snacks and drinks for sale inside. You can expect to pay prices as high as going to the LA/OC fair. I brought my baby and I would say it is stroller friendly except for one street where you had to roll over grass to get view those floats. I skipped that part. I loved that you can see the detail on the floats. There are workers at each float who can describe to you what flowers or ingredient was used to make the float. It was crowded but we had fun and was able to take some pretty awesome pictures. read more

The shuttle line at PCC is horrible. Been here for 45 mins and I'm only half way there. It's 2.18 pm and I'm about to give up and turn around. I just think about coming back and the same wait and long line that will face me to get back on the shuttle. had I known this I would have never come here. this organization needs to have more shuttle buses loading at the same time , they are only loading one. this is horrible. read more

If you want to see the parade floats up close, smell the flowers, and snap photos with good lighting, you should go. I hadn't gone since I was a kid when it used to be free, but the Rose Parade also has a lot more floats than before. They also have a lot of the sponsors there giving out free stuff and information about the organizations they represent. It does get crowded and parking is extra, unless you park at a satellite lot (free) and take the shuttle (also free). Expect to do a bit of walking, since they line up the floats in single file. The day of the parade is pretty crowded, but the day after is slightly less crowded. Bring water; security will check bags. read more

Never Again!!! Paid for tickets online to"avoid lines". Got to Pasadena City College by 2:00 PM for the recommended shuttle transport to the float viewing site. After struggling to figure out where to park (no signage) and actually finding a spot and finding the shuttles, the guys in vests told us they just stopped running the shuttle!!! They told us we needed to drive to the location of the floats and hope to find parking there. So... we did that... paid to park... and walked toward the entrance. There, we saw a line that was really... REALLY long! It snaked around in a big S. By the time we actually got inside the viewing area, it was 3:45 PM. Difficult to walk due to huge number of attendees. Water costs $3.00 a bottle. No one working for the Rose Parade could tell us where to get free water. Traffic leaving was congested and...it took over an hour and a half to drive home to Riverside. Floats were beautiful but... not worth the struggle to get there, get parked, and then fight the crowds to actually see them. Disorganized! Exhausting! Underwhelming! I'm done with the Showcase of Floats!!! read more