Next January's Rose Bowl parade in California is canceled for just the fourth time in its 132-year history, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association announced Wednesday.
The other three years of cancellations were due to World War II, 1942, 1943, and 1945. This cancellation is due to the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic.
"The health and well-being of our parade participants and guests, as well as that of our volunteer members, professional staff and partners, is our number one priority," Bob Miller, 2021 president of the PTRA said in a statement. "Obviously this is not what any of us wanted, and we held off on announcing until we were absolutely sure that safety restrictions would prevent us from continuing with planning for 132nd Rose Parade."
College football's Rose Bowl is not yet canceled. It is planned to be the championship semifinal Jan. 1, 2021.
"We continue to work with the College Football Playoff and our collegiate partners to explore what this year's college football season will look like amidst COVID-19 and social distancing guidelines," Executive Director/CEO David Eads said in the release. "While the safety and well-being of the student athletes, university personnel, and fans is our top priority, we remain hopeful that the Granddaddy of Them All will take place on New Year's Day."
The cancellation of the parade is based on Gov. Gavin Newsom's coronavirus protocols that have hampered preparations that generally get underway back in February.
"In addition to the advance planning required by our band and equestrian units, the construction of our floats takes many months and typically requires thousands of volunteers to gather in ways that aren't in compliance with safety recommendations and won't be safe in the coming months," Eads said. "While we are extremely disappointed that we are unable to host the parade, we believe that not doing so will prevent the spread of COVID-19, as well as protect the legacy of the Rose Parade for generations to come."
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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