Stop and smell the roses at the 136th Rose Parade in Pasadena, California! Always a favorite, this tour highlights a behind-the-scenes look at the fantastic Rose float construction, reserved seating at the Rose Parade, a Warner Brothers Studio Tour and a visit to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library!
A Premiere Bucket List Event!
For millions of people around the world, the Rose Parade is an iconic New Year’s Day tradition. The Rose Parade travels 5 ½ miles down Colorado Blvd. and features four types of entries: floraldecorated floats entered by a participating corporation, non-profit organization or municipality, equestrian units, bands, and Tournament Entries. Rose Parade participants have long histories with the Tournament of Roses and keep the traditions alive. The earliest Tournament of Roses welcomed 3,000 spectators to its first parade filled with beautiful, horsedrawn carriages covered in flowers. More than a century later, the parade floats are a marvel of state of the art technology, all tucked away beneath flowers and other all-natural materials.
A History of the Tournament of Roses
In 1890, Valley Hunt Club members, led by Charles Frederick Holder, sponsored the first Tournament of Roses. The abundance of flowers, even in the midst of winter, prompted the club to add a parade before the competition, where entrants would decorate carriages with hundreds of colorful blooms.
“In New York, people are buried in snow,” announced Professor Charles F. Holder at a Club meeting. “Here our flowers are blooming and our oranges are about to bear. Let’s hold a festival to tell the world about our paradise.”
More than a century later, the parade floats are a marvel of state of the art technology, all tucked away beneath flowers and other all-natural materials. Every New Year, visitors experience the beauty of the floral floats along with spirited marching bands and high-stepping equestrian units along the 5 1⁄2 mile route down Colorado Boulevard.
The Great Rose Bowl Hoax
The Great Rose Bowl Hoax was a prank at the 1961 Rose Bowl, an annual American college football bowl game. That year, the Washington Huskies were pitted against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. At halftime, the Huskies led 17–0, and their cheerleaders took the field to lead the spectators in the stands in a card stunt, a routine involving flip-cards depicting various images for the audience to raise. However, students from the California Institute of Technology managed to alter the card stunt shown during the halftime break, by making the Washington fans inadvertently spell out CALTECH.
The prank has been described as the “greatest collegiate prank of all time” and received national attention, as the game was broadcast to an estimated 30 million viewers across the United States by NBC. One author wrote, “Few college pranks can be said to be more grandly conceived, carefully planned, flawlessly executed, and publicly dramatic” than the Great Rose Bowl Hoax.
- Since 1890, the Tournament of Roses has produced America’s New Year Celebration. Be a part of history cheering on the floats and bands!
- Spend the day sightseeing the City of Angels with a local expert.
- See the Hollywood Bowl, Mann’s Chinese Theatre, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Sunset Strip, Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive and so much more
- Visit to the Ronald Reagan Library and Museum
- Travel up 1,134 feet to the Griffith Observatory on the slope of Mount Hollywood with spectacular views of LA
- Explore the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
DAY 1: FLY INTO LOS ANGELES
Catch a flight into Los Angeles and check into the comfortable and centrally located full-service Renaissance Los Angeles airport hotel for a five-night stay. D
DAY 2: GETTING TO KNOW LA
Spend the day sightseeing the City of Angels with a local expert. See the Hollywood Bowl, Mann’s Chinese Theatre, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Sunset Strip, Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive and so much more. B, L
DAY 3: REAGAN LIBRARY
Take a scenic drive along the coast and over mountains to Simi Valley for a visit to the Ronald Reagan Library and Museum. The exhibits are designed to honor his accomplishments and patriotic spirit. Tour the museum, view a full-size replica of the White House Oval Office, the office in which President Reagan never took off his suit jacket. Enjoy lunch under the actual Air Force One aircraft, tail number 27000, which flew seven US presidents. B, L
DAY 4: BEHIND THE PARADE SCENES
Go behind the scenes to see how the Rose Parade floral floats are constructed and decorated. The volunteers are thrilled to let you discover the final stages of float decorating before their debut in the parade! A visit to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures offers a captivating journey through the history and artistry of cinema, featuring immersive exhibits, iconic memorabilia, and a celebration of the cinematic experience. Gather for a special dinner celebrating “New Year’s Eve!” Return to the hotel to be ready to rise early the next morning for the celebrated Rose Parade. B, D
DAY 5: TOURNAMENT OF ROSES PARADE
Enjoy a great view of the Tournament of Roses Parade from your reserved seating - you can’t help but get caught up in the excitement of the crowd as the striking floats and well-rehearsed marching bands pass by! Chat about the parade over lunch then kick off the New Year with free time to relax or explore LA at your leisure. B, L
DAY 6: FLY HOME
Travel up 1,134 feet to the Griffith Observatory on the slope of Mount Hollywood; the site offers spectacular views of LA and the Hollywood Sign. Grab a telescope and see why Mr. Griffith said, “If all mankind could look through that telescope, it would change the world!” Reflecting on your adventure take in the spectacular views of the City of Angels, before you depart for your journey home. B
ACCOMMODATIONS: Renaissance Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Dates
- Departure: December 28, 2025
- Return: January 2, 2026
Pricing
- Double: $2,999
- Triple/Quad: $2,829
- Single: $3,399
*Per person rates
* Includes round-trip airfare from STL/SGF (call for other gateway cities)
Other General Information
We will send 3 key communications for your tour; “Get Ready” is your email confirmation and initial tour information sent upon registration, “Get Set” email will be sent about two months before departure, “Go” trip documentation mailing is sent via USPS 3-4 weeks before departure and will include your daily itinerary, luggage tags and final departure information.
Travel Protection is optional and highly recommended and can be purchased until the day before departure. We offer Travel Guard from AIG, which costs 8.5% of your tour, information about which will be sent with your Get Ready email.
Unless otherwise noted, your Sunrise Tour includes: Professional Sunrise Tour Director, meals as indicated, local step on guides including gratuity (international tour guide gratuity inclusion vary by tour), deluxe motorcoach transportation w/rest room, admission to activities and events as indicated, airfare from designated airports, transportation to/from designated airports from our convenient local pickup points*, luggage handling at hotels when available
We believe tipping is a personal and discretionary interaction between our guests and our staff. A typical gratuity for your Sunrise Tour Director and motorcoach driver may be $5-$7per person, per day on tour. Sunrise Shuttle drivers appreciate gratuities (suggest $5 per person) for excellent service as well. Our staff will not solicit gratuities or pass out envelopes.
We are happy to offer refreshments on most motorcoach travel days on tour. We recommend you bring a refillable water bottle to maintain healthy hydration.
If less than 4 people request a pickup point, we may ask that you choose another pickup point from which to join your Sunrise Tour.
If you would like to join a tour from a city not listed as a departure point, we would love to have you along! Please discuss arrangements with our friendly reservation team. From a departure city not listed, typical airfare will be +$100 higher than our published fare for domestic tours, and +$200 for international tours.
If you have a TSA precheck or Airline Rewards numbers, you MUST give those numbers to our reservations team at least 60 days before departure, otherwise they may not be applied.
Preferred seating may not be available on group air. In some cases, seats are not assigned until the airport. Your tour fare includes an economy seat on the flight; it does not include seat selection. Seat upgrades may be available at an additional cost.
To help make our tours the most comfortable in the business, we limit Sunrise Tours motorcoaches to 80% capacity, or 44 passengers on a coach built for 55. We reserve the right to amend this practice.
Your Tour Director will rotate seats on the motorcoach each day of your tour. A single fare does not guarantee two seats on the coach; you may be seated next to another friendly Sunrise Tours guest.
Terms and Conditions
Please refer to our policies HERE for more information on our terms and conditions.
