Rose Parade expected to ring in 2026 with rain

There’s a ‘near 100 percent’ chance of a wet day in Pasadena, forecasters say.

- BY HAILEY BRANSON-POTTS AND ALEX WIGGLESWORTH

ONTARIO resident Diana Hobbs saves a spot Wednesday on Colorado Boulevard ahead of the Rose Parade.

(RONALDO BOLANOS Los Angeles Times)

Will it rain on the Rose Parade? It sure looks that way.

Will it go on anyway? You betcha.

The 137th Rose Parade — an event famously established to show off Southern California’s mild winter weather —is set to kick off at 8 a.m. Thursday in Pasadena amid a wet winter storm that could result in the first rainy parade in two decades.

“There is a near 100 percent [chance] of a wet New Years Parade as well as the overnight hours leading up to it,” National Weather Service meteorologists wrote in a forecast Tuesday.

Rose Parade officials — though they would rather not jinx it — say they are prepared for a soaking.

“At the Tournament of Roses, we try not to use that word,” David Eads, the organization’s chief executive, said in a statement. “History tells us the sun usually shows up right on time.”

In addition to traditional television broadcasters and other web-based streaming services, this year’s parade will, for the first time, be livestreamed on TikTok via username @rose.parade.

“With this first-ever TikTok LIVE stream, we're thrilled to invite a new generation of Parade fans to experience the magic of the Rose Parade from a fresh, creator-led lens,” Mark Leavens, president of the Tournament of Roses, said in a statement.