There is nothing like a good parade to start off the new year. When I was growing up I would often visit the New Years Day parade in London with my family and I've seen many pictures of the New York parade with their unmissable giant balloons.
When moving to LA, we discovered another one of America's New Year Celebrations and it's almost on the doorstep to where we live. The Rose Parade, also known as the Tournament of Roses, is held in Pasadena each year on New Years Day. The parade is famous for its flower-covered floats, marching bands and is followed by the Rose Bowl college football game. It originally started on January 1, 1890, when members of the Valley Hunt Club wished to showcase California's mild winter weather. At a club meeting, Professor Charles F. Holder announced, "In New York, people are buried in the snow. Here our flowers are blooming and our oranges are about to bear. Let's hold a festival to tell the world about our paradise." The inclusion of the Rose Bowl football game was added in 1902 to help fund the cost of staging the parade.*
Disney has been involved in some of the Rose Parades over the years, with a Snow White float in 1938, being the the first entry from Walt Disney Productions. Most notably, Walt served as the Grand Marshal for the parade in 1966. That year the parade's theme was "It's a Small World" which made Walt the perfect choice. However, Walt didn't appear alone; Mickey Mouse sat at his side as their car drove down the parade route. Many other Disney characters also walked beside the car. In 2000, Walt's nephew, Roy E. Disney was the Grand Marshal and in 2005, Mickey Mouse held the post on his own. Many Disney themed floats have been created and included, often during special anniversaries or when new lands are opening at Disneyland.
On January 1, I stood and watched the 2016 Rose Parade with a pure blue sky and with a cold, brisk air. The Grand Marshal was Ken Burns, a documentary film maker. As I stood at the side of the road on Colorado, I imagined what it would have been like to have seen Walt sitting in that car as he waved to the many spectators. That moment would have been fifty years to the day. As people watched Walt in that car, thrilled to see such an inspirational man, little did they, or Walt, realize that this would be his last New Years Day.
After ninety minutes from the start of the parade, the 2016 Disneyland float made its way down the street. From a distance I could see a large purple castle with characters from Frozen standing and dancing in front of it. As it came closer, I was in awe of the design of the float and at the number of Disney characters that surrounded it. Joy and Sadness from Inside Out, Mary Poppins and Bert, Snow White, Dopey, Aurora, Merida, Aladdin, the Genie, the Mad Hatter are to name just a few of the characters who were there. Behind the Frozen section was a Disneyland style castle where Mickey Mouse and the gang waved at the crowd. At the back completing the float was a very impressive Star Wars section which showed a flying Millennium Falcon, C3P0, R2 D2, Kylo Ren, Captain Phasma, Chewbacca, and a whole troop of First Order Storm Troopers.
As the float passed playing music from Disneyland's 60th Anniversary celebrations, that magical Disney feeling passed through me. I felt the excitement and wonder of a child. Although Walt wasn't there, everything he dreamed of and worked for was. New stories were being told, families and people of all ages were being entertained and his special place, Disneyland, was at the forefront of everyone's mind. And it was all there in the most spectacular way!
* Information taken from Rose Parade Wikipedia Page
The first Walt Disney Productions float promoted Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1938
Walt Disney was the Grand Marshal in 1966
Roy E. Disney was the Grand Marshal in 2000
Mickey Mouse was the Grand Marshal in 2005
A wet and rainy year for the Disneyland 50th Anniversary float in 2005
A float to celebrate the upcoming Cars Land in 2013
The front of the 2016 Disneyland 60th Anniversary float
A video of the 2016 Disneyland parade float as it passed by me
The Grand Marshal was announced with this banner. Was it the same for Walt in 1966?
Ken Burns was the Grand Marshal in 2016
