Who Was the First Grand Marshal of the Rose Parade?

Panoramic view of prize-winning floats parked among throngs of visitors, at the public showcase following the 1956 Tournament of Roses Parade, in Pasadena, California, 1956. From left to right, are the City of Burbank Page One float, the Lutheran Layman's League Bringing Christ To The Nations float, and the Occidental Life Insurance Company of California's Rose Royalty Revisited float — Morse Collection/Gado/Getty Images

What To Know

The first Grand Marshal of the Rose Parade was Dr. Francis F. Rowland, who led the inaugural event on January 1, 1890.
The Rose Parade was created by Pasadena’s Valley Hunt Club to showcase Southern California’s winter beauty compared to the snowy East and Midwest.
The parade quickly grew in size and complexity, leading to the formation of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association in 1895 to manage the event.

The Rose Parade, which will air on January 1, 2025 at 8am PST (11am ET) on NBC and Peacock, is today a full-blown New Year’s Day spectacle with floats covered in flowers, marching bands, horses and much more. But back at the very beginning, the idea was simpler: the parade was designed to show off Pasadena’s winter sunshine and blooming flowers to people back east who were still digging out from snow. And unlike today’s major celebrity Grand Marshals (this year’s is Billie Jean King), the very first Grand Marshal of that simpler Rose Parade was Dr. Francis F. Rowland, who led the inaugural parade on January 1, 1890.

Why the Rose Parade started

The Rose Parade began with members of Pasadena’s Valley Hunt Club, many of whom had moved from the East and Midwest and wanted to make a point about what winter looked like in Southern California. According to the official website, “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.”

From there, the event grew quickly. In the first few years, the parade began adding marching bands and motorized floats, and by 1895 it had become too big for the Valley Hunt Club to handle alone. That is when the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association formed as an ad hoc nonprofit organization to take over the job of running the whole thing.

What happened at the first Rose Parade

Fred Mace, Mack Sennett, Mabel Normand in the Pasadena Rose Parade, 1913

Everett Collection

The first Rose Parade took place on January 1, 1890, and it was staged as part of what the organizers called the Tournament of Roses. It was a celebration that expanded beyond just floats, with activities in the early years that could include things like races and novelty competitions. Over time, floats built by volunteers and sponsors replaced the earlier flower decorated horse carriages, although the parade’s horse and equestrian traditions never disappeared. The parade has long been tied to Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, and that the day before the parade the surrounding streets are sealed off for the formation area, where floats, bands and equestrian units line up before the start.

The First Grand Marshal, Dr. Francis F. Rowland

The Grand Marshal was an honorary position chosen by the president of the Tournament, and traditionally the Grand Marshal also takes part in the coin toss at the Rose Bowl. Dr. Francis F. Rowland was chosen due to being a respected figure in the community. He became a repeat marshal because in those early decades while Tournament was still building its traditions, and a familiar name returning helped the parade became an annual institution.