PASADENA, Calif. (AP) – A year after New Year’s Day passed without a Rose Parade due to the coronavirus pandemic, marching bands and floral floats took to the streets again to celebrate the arrival of 2022 despite a new surge of infections due to the omicron variant.
The 133rd edition of the Pasadena, California, tradition on Saturday featured actor LeVar Burton as grand marshal, 20 bands, 18 equestrian units and dozens of floats reflecting the theme of “Dream. Believe. Achieve.”
After days of record-smashing rains, there were sunny skies for the 8 a.m. start of the spectacle, which has an uncanny history of postcard weather.
LeAnn Rimes kicked off the event with a performance of “Throw My Arms Around the World” followed by a military flyover of a B-2 stealth bomber.
Among the fanciful floats was the futuristic-themed “Vaccinate Our World” entry by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation with a robot nurse clutching a syringe. The colorful “Rise, Shine and Read!” float by the UPS Store featured a bespectacled rooster reading to a group of chicks.