225,000 Take Last-Chance Look at Rose Floats

About 225,000 people endured long lines and elusive parking Sunday to get an up-close look at the fragrant floats of the 111th Tournament of Roses Parade.

The line to view the 54 floats was so long Sunday that many people waited up to 90 minutes just to buy a $4 ticket to get into the viewing area, at Sierra Madre and Washington boulevards in Pasadena.

Because of the huge crowds, Tournament of Roses officials stopped letting people get in line at 2:30 p.m., one hour before the scheduled closing time. Still, it took until 4 p.m. to file the remaining people into the viewing area.

The elderly and people with disabilities were allowed to view the floats two hours before tickets were sold to the general public Sunday morning.

The same total number of people viewed the floats last year during a three-day period, according to parade officials. Because New Year’s Eve landed on a Friday this year, viewing was limited to only two days.

Tournament of Roses officials also attributed the big crowds to the sunny weather.

“When it warms up, everybody comes out,” said Lavonne Leaman, a member of the parade administration committee.

Although shuttle rides and public parking were provided at the Rose Bowl and at Pasadena City College, most people relied on street parking, which became so scarce that several nearby residents charged up to $10 to park cars on their lawns.

Pasadena police reported no arrests or disturbances.

On Saturday afternoon, about 35,000 people viewed the floats.