Tournament of Roses Parade
Pasadena, California
New Year’s Eve is all about the ball drop in New York City, but New Year’s Day is reserved for the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Roughly 700,000 people from around the world gather in Pasadena for the Tournament of Roses Parade and the Rose Bowl game, and there’s a lot of energy and a lot for groups to do in the days surrounding the festival.
The Tournament of Roses Parade theme is different every year, and the 2018 theme, “Making a Difference,” was chosen to honor and celebrate people in communities who act in selfless, generous and kind ways to help others. The parade itself wouldn’t be possible without 80,000 hours of manpower from about 935 volunteers with the nonprofit Tournament of Roses Association.
The parade features two hours of intricate floral floats, marching bands and high-stepping horses along a 5.5-mile route, but groups can get involved in ways other than watching from the grandstands.
The CVB has a list of float-decorating companies and individual associations that need people to work around the clock in the final days to put the final touches on floats, something visitors are welcome to do. If groups don’t want to decorate, they can head to Rosemont Pavilion at the Rose Bowl Stadium to watch as workers apply seeds, bark and grasses on floats. After the parade, floats are displayed along Sierra Madre and Washington boulevards.
Live on Green is an annual three-day celebration that coincides with the Tournament of Roses Parade and the Rose Bowl. For three decades, the free festival has entertained visitors from morning to night with live music, performances, activities, contests, food booths and more at the Pasadena Convention Center. Groups can also arrange for guided tours of the 1922 Rose Bowl Stadium.
St. Paul Winter Carnival
St. Paul, Minnesota
The St. Paul Winter Carnival got its start in 1886 after some Eastern newspaper reporters claimed Minnesota was “another Siberia, unfit for human habitation.” Local business owners decided to show them otherwise by organizing the first winter festival to showcase the state’s snowy beauty.
Now in its 132nd year, the 2018 Winter Carnival features 17 days of festival fun with three parades and signature events at Rice Park and Vulcan Snow Park. Themed days, such as Ladies Day, Frozen Family Fun Night and Cinco de Mayo Night, appeal to a variety of visitors.
Rice Park is festival central with entertainment during the day and live music every night “to keep people coming back and keep the excitement up,” said Alyssa Olson, marketing and event manager for the St. Paul Festival and Heritage Foundation, which produces the carnival. Groups can watch dance performances and competitions such as the robotic snowplow competition or the Freeze Your Bags Off beanbag tournament; hit up food and drink vendors; warm up with mulled wine from the ice bar; and watch ice sculptors carve their creations.
Three parades punctuate the schedule. The Moon Glow Pedestrian Parade kicks things off, but the King Boreas Grand Day Parade is the big event with floats, royalty, marching bands and more. During the Vulcan Victory Torchlight Parade, “Vulcans” march through town carrying torches to help Vulcanus Rex “overthrow” King Boreas at the ice palace and, thus, usher in summer.
Vulcan Snow Park is a winter playground with a snowslide for sledding, a snow maze and snow-sculpting competitions, polar plunges and bar-stool ski races.
