The Rose Parade is back.
After the coronavirus forced its first cancellation since World War II last year, the whimsical, flower-filled procession returned to Pasadena on Saturday.
The parade began at 8 a.m. Pacific, with actor and television host LeVar Burton serving as grand marshal. The theme is “Dream. Achieve. Believe.”
The Rotary float called “Changing Lives Through Education” in the 2022 Rose Parade on Saturday.
(Kyusung Gong/For The Times)
While the return of the Rose Parade is seen by many as a cheerful respite from two painful pandemic years, it is clouded by a dramatic surge in COVID-19 cases fueled by the highly contagious Omicron variant.
As spectators from across the country lined Colorado Boulevard, nearly 1 in 4 people in Los Angeles County who are being tested are positive for the coronavirus, and daily totals of new, confirmed infections are doubling every two days.
The parade crowd was smaller than in years past. Although some people had been camped along the route since midday on New Year’s Eve — a beloved tradition for those hoping to score a good view of the floats — many arrived Saturday morning and found a front-row spots and, pratically unheard of, good parking.
Mutual of Omaha’s “Wild Kingdom” float on Saturday in Pasadena.
(KTLA)
City of Burbank “An Unlikely Tale” float in the 2022 Rose Parade on Saturday.
(Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)
Cal Poly Universities float called “Stargazers” in the 2022 Rose Parade on Saturday.
(Kyusung Gong/For The Times)
The…