Current:Home > Stocks135th Rose Parade boasts floral floats, sunny skies as California tradition kicks off the new year-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
135th Rose Parade boasts floral floats, sunny skies as California tradition kicks off the new year
View Date:2024-12-25 01:13:17
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Floral floats, marching bands and equestrian units took to the streets under a sunny California sky as the 135th Rose Parade drew hundreds of thousands of spectators on New Year’s Day.
The Pasadena tradition on Monday featured Broadway legend Audra McDonald as grand marshal and the theme “Celebrating a World of Music: The Universal Language.”
After recent rains and gray skies, there was plenty of sun for the 8 a.m. start of the spectacle with a military flyover of a B-2 stealth bomber.
Among the fanciful floats was Kaiser Permanente’s colorful “Symphony of You,” which featured 8,000 roses and received the President Award for most outstanding use and presentation of flowers.
The top prize, the 2024 Sweepstakes Trophy, went to the San Diego Zoo for the 55-foot (16.8-meter) float “It All Started With a Roar,” depicting its mascot Rex the Lion and celebrating wildlife conservation.
The scheduled performers included Destiny’s Child singer Michelle WIlliams, “The Voice” winner Cassadee Pope and “American Idol” champion Jordin Sparks.
Huge crowds lined the 5.5-mile (8.8-kilometer) parade route. Many camped out on sidewalks overnight, staking out their spots in the afternoon on New Year’s Eve.
The parade was briefly interrupted by about 50 pro-Palestinian protesters carrying a banner demanding a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas. They blocked the route before peacefully dispersing under police orders, said city spokesperson Lisa Derderian.
McDonald was set to toss the coin before the 110th Rose Bowl college football game between Alabama and Michigan.
veryGood! (4441)
Related
- Powerball winning numbers for Nov. 13 drawing: Jackpot rises to $113 million
- Julie Chen Moonves’ Plastic Surgery Confession Includes Going Incognito
- US Department of State worker charged with sharing top-secret intel with African nation
- Fired Black TikTok workers allege culture of discrimination in civil rights complaint
- Catholic bishops urged to boldly share church teachings — even unpopular ones
- Zelenskyy visiting Canada for first time since war started seeking to shore up support for Ukraine
- Who’s Bob Menendez? New Jersey’s senator charged with corruption has survived politically for years
- Guantanamo judge rules 9/11 defendant unfit for trial after panel finds abuse rendered him psychotic
- Who's hosting 'SNL' tonight? Musical guest, start time, where to watch Nov. 9 episode
- Bus carrying Farmingdale High School band crashes in New York's Orange County; 2 adults dead, multiple injuries reported
Ranking
- New 'Yellowstone' is here: Season 5 Part 2 premiere date, time, where to watch
- Tropical Storm Ophelia forms off U.S. East Coast, expected to bring heavy rain and wind
- Targeted strikes may spread to other states and cities as midday deadline set by auto workers nears
- U.S. to nominate Okefenokee Swamp refuge for listing as UNESCO World Heritage site
- Birth control and abortion pill requests have surged since Trump won the election
- Hurricane forecasters expect tropical cyclone to hit swath of East Coast with wind, rain
- What’s streaming now: Doja Cat, ‘Sex Education,’ ‘Spy Kids,’ ‘The Super Models’ and ‘Superpower’
- Authorities search for suspect wanted in killing who was mistakenly released from Indianapolis jail
Recommendation
-
Duke basketball vs Kentucky live updates: Highlights, scores, updates from Champions Classic
-
Five things that could make NFL Week 3's underwhelming schedule surprisingly exciting
-
UNGA Briefing: Netanyahu, tuberculosis and what else is going on at the UN
-
Lahaina residents brace for what they’ll find as they return to devastated properties in burn zone
-
Alexandra Daddario shares first postpartum photo of baby: 'Women's bodies are amazing'
-
CDC recommends RSV vaccine in late pregnancy to protect newborns
-
Arkansas teacher, students reproduce endangered snake species in class
-
AP Week in Pictures: Latin America and Caribbean