136th Annual Rose Parade is “the best day ever”

PASADENA, Calif.—Marching for 5.5 miles on Colorado Blvd. is no easy feat, especially when you add music and dancing into the mix.

Hundreds of thousands of visitors traveled far and wide to view this centuries old tradition that is the Rose Parade.

“When we were kids, we'd be in pajamas, like, wrapped up and like, it was just so exciting,” said Mitzelle Nicchi, who is now sharing her childhood tradition with her husband now that they’ve moved to Pasadena.

The event is so popular that to grab good seats, people camped overnight.

“We came all the way from Ventura. We camped out. We had blow up mattresses. My husband brought the camp stove. We had heaters, We played games. It was a great night,” said Cynthia Allen.

Ana Jara, who lives in Whittier, said, “We had about four layers of clothes so we wouldn't be cold. So it was pretty good. I mean, we didn't get much sleep. I think we only got like 2 hours of sleep, but it was okay.

This year, 39 floats rolled down Colorado Blvd. all decked out with thousands of roses. It’s taken months of preparation and a lot of attention to detail.

“When you're here in person and you see all the individual roses on the parade and all the floats, it's amazing to see the work that goes into it,” said Cynthia Allen, who lives in Ventura.

“The one that just passed with the big star, with the vignette that I love that piñata with all the candy coming out,” said Araceli Zozaya, who lives in Hemet.

This year’s theme of “Best Day Ever” lived up to the hype.

“The best of the best new year with a new blessing. God is good for us,” said Isabel Monje, who lives in Laguna Woods.

Next year will mark the 137th year for the annual Rose Parade.