The annual Rose Bowl Parade held every New Year’s Day in Pasadena, CA, will not be taking place in 2021 due to the coronavirus outbreak.
“The health and well-being of our parade participants and guests, as well as that of our volunteer members, professional staff and partners, is our number one priority,” Bob Miller, 2021 President of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association shared in a statement posted on the group’s website. The post was noted by 247Sports.com in a piece published Wednesday. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
The Pasadena Tournament of Roses Associations said in a statement that it will be unable to host the annual New Year’s Day event on Jan. 1, 2021, because of “restrictions and guidelines” imposed by California’s phased reopening plan. https://t.co/lFLaNjyg28
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“Obviously this is not what any of us wanted, and we held off on announcing until we were absolutely sure that safety restrictions would prevent us from continuing with planning for 132nd Rose Parade,” he added. (RELATED: NBA Season Suspended After Player Tests Positive For Coronavirus)
The statement continued, with a message from David Eads, Executive Director/CEO that read, “In addition to the advance planning required by our band and equestrian units, the construction of our floats takes many months and typically requires thousands of volunteers to gather in ways that aren’t in compliance with safety recommendations and won’t be safe in the coming months.”
Eads went on to share that while they are “extremely disappointed that we are unable to host the parade” they believe doing so will “prevent the spread of COVID-19.”
The annual parade is then followed by the Rose Bowl Game played in a nearby stadium. At the time of this report, the College Football Playoff Semifinal game is still on.
“We continue to work with the College Football Playoff and our collegiate partners to explore what this year’s college football season will look like amidst COVID-19 and social distancing guidelines,” Eads shared. “While the safety and well-being of the student athletes, university personnel and fans is our top priority, we remain hopeful that the Granddaddy of Them All will take place on New Year’s Day.”
The cancellation of the parade marks the first time since World War II.