Tournament of Roses announces two-hour TV event in lieu of Rose Parade

Even though the 2021 Rose Parade is canceled, viewers will still be able to get their flower fix with a two-hour television special slated for New Year’s Day, the Tournament of Roses said in a Thursday news release.

It’s going to include “live-to-tape musical and marching band performances, heartwarming segments related to the Rose Parade, celebrity guest appearances, special Rose Bowl Game football highlights, equestrians, spectacular floats from years past, a behind-the-scenes look into the making of a float and you will have a chance to be part of the show,” it said.

It’s unclear just how you’ll get to be part of the show, as the news release said, but the television special will broadcast at the same time the Rose Parade would have been on television: 8 a.m. sharp on New Year’s Day.

High school and college seniors in bands from across the country “will come together for a special, virtual performance of ‘Everything’s Coming Up Roses’ lead by a surprise conductor,” the release said.

Bob Miller, this year’s Tournament president, said all of the bands who were scheduled to perform this year were invited to join the 2022 parade, but the Tournament recognized that some students may graduate before they get the chance. This virtual performance is meant to showcase their talents.

“Each year, tens of millions across America and around the world invite us into their homes to celebrate the New Year, and this year will be no different,” Tournament CEO David Eads said in the statement. “We may not be able to make our typical 5.5-mile march, but we are hosting a spectacular celebration nonetheless.”

For the event, the Tournament of Roses teamed up with Feeding America, a national food bank network dedicated to fighting domestic hunger, which will benefit financially from the event.

“The Rose Parade is a long-standing and central part of our New Year celebrations – not only here in Pasadena, but also around the world – and we are delighted that tradition will continue this year in a new, reimagined way. We are excited to see how it comes to life on TV this year,” Pasadena Mayor Terry Tornek said in the statement.

This is the first Rose Parade to be canceled in 75 years. Until now, the only reason it had ever been canceled was during World War II.