Families who start New Year’s morning with flowers, marching bands and a crowded couch will have three Great American Media options for watching the 138th Rose Parade on Jan. 1, 2027.
“It shows what imagination, dedication and people working together can create,” said Bill Abbott, Great American Media’s president and CEO, in the company’s Oct. 13 announcement.
Great American Pure Flix will stream the Rose Parade presented by Honda, while Great American Family and GFAM+ will also carry it live. That puts a familiar holiday tradition across its streaming and television platforms as Christmas gives way to a new year.
The parade itself begins at 8 a.m. Pacific in Pasadena, California, according to the Tournament of Roses event page. Organizers list a two-hour event, with floral floats, marching bands and equestrian units traveling the 5.5-mile route.
For anyone used to seeing the finished floats glide past on television, the work behind them is part of the attraction. Those moving displays hide their technology beneath flowers and other natural materials, turning engineering projects into gardens on wheels.
The 2027 parade’s theme is Welcome, which Tournament of Roses President Terry Madigan announced in January. Organizers describe it as a celebration of belonging, friendship and community — the feeling of finding a place where someone is glad to see you.
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Great American Media is leaning into that same idea in its announcement, describing the parade as an invitation for families to gather. Abbott tied the broadcast to the possibility of beginning another year with hope, rather than simply adding another program to the schedule.
“We are honored to bring this historic Parade to our audiences and give families a magnificent first memory of 2027,” he said.
There are already a few specific entries for viewers to watch for. In an Oct. 8 float preview, the Tournament of Roses highlighted designs from Cal Poly Universities, South Pasadena, the Downey Rose Float Association, Princess Cruises and Rotary.
Cal Poly’s entry is called Soaring as One, while South Pasadena’s Welcome to the Neighborhood makes the year’s theme especially plain. Downey’s Farmers Market offers another community-centered concept, alongside Princess Cruises’ Welcome Aboard and Find Your Story and Rotary’s Where Communities Bloom.
Organizers say the designs will take on another dimension once volunteers and builders cover them in floral elements and natural materials for parade day.
The distinction makes the coming months part of the story, too: sketches still have to become structures, and structures still need their finishing petals. The Tournament of Roses says its 935 members contribute more than 80,000 volunteer hours toward the celebration.
The tradition dates to 1890, when flower-decorated carriages showcased Pasadena’s winter blooms. For parents and grandparents who grew up watching, the appeal now includes sharing a familiar ritual with children who are seeing those enormous floral creations for the first time.
For viewers planning to watch at home, the useful detail is straightforward: Great American Media has announced live carriage on Great American Pure Flix, Great American Family and GFAM+. Check the platform’s Jan. 1 listing as the date approaches, and remember that Pasadena’s parade start is on Pacific time.
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