See the Parade Floats Up Close

The seeds, berries and flower parts take volunteers hundreds of hours to glue down or tack in place. But this detail that goes into building a Tournament of Roses Parade float is often missed in the few seconds the floats are on the television screen or in the minutes it takes to roll past parade-goers on Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena.

For a buck, you can get an up-close, leisurely look at the 55 floats, examine their construction and even take photographs. For five years, Eastman Kodak has presented the public viewing following the parade, but the post-parade viewing has been a part of the Rose Parade since 1929 when carriages adorned in flowers and foliage were parked in front of City Hall.

The annual New Year’s Day parade begins Saturday at 8:05 a.m. From 1:30 to 4 p.m., the floats will be parked in the post-parade areas between Washington Boulevard and Sierra Madre Villa Avenue, and at Washington between Sierra Madre Boulevard and Woodlyn Road. There are special viewing hours for seniors and the mobility-impaired Sunday, 7 to 9 a.m.; public viewing resumes Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $1; free to children under 8. For information, call (818) 449-7673.