What to Know
- The 133rd Rose Parade presented by Honda begins at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022
- The parade travels along part of Orange Grove Boulevard, then Colorado Boulevard, in Pasadena
- The Rose Bowl follows the morning parade at 2 p.m.; the Ohio State Buckeyes will face the Utah Utes
133rd Rose Parade presented by Honda: The pomp, the beauty, the creativity, the spectacle, and all of those countless flower petals, pinecones, and seeds will be back on Colorado Boulevard, in Pasadena, after a year off, due to the pandemic, in 2021 (when the parade presented a televised special). The 2022 theme of "America's New Year's Celebration" is "Dream. Believe. Achieve." and the theming of those famous blossom-covered floats will reflect that aspirational spirit. See the marching bands, equestrian units, dignitaries, royal court, and 2022 Grand Marshal LeVar Burton starting at 8 a.m. on New Year's Day.
New Year's Eve: Greeting 2022, in all of its newness and 2022-ness? That can be done in many ways, but keep in mind that a number of larger New Year's Eve celebrations around Southern California have been canceled, a pandemic precaution. You'll want to look outdoors, to the fireworks in Long Beach and Marina del Rey, or online, if you've been a fan of Grand Park's large-scale festivities (good news, the City Hall projection show will still happen virtually). Many restaurants are open, and several have New Year's Eve menus (so check in with our favorites). And the theme parks? Dec. 31 is always a big day, so if you want to do Disneyland, buy your ticket in advance, and do remember your reservation, too.
"Jurassic Quest": Welcoming a new calendar not with a soft word but a roar, a dino-style grooooowl, might be the ticket, especially if you have some 'saurus-obsessed youngsters (or not-so-youngsters) in the house. If starting the year off with prehistoric beasties seems right to you, make for Anaheim over New Year's Weekend, where 100-plus life-sized animatronic dinosaurs are holding clawful court. This on-tour extravaganza visited the Rose Bowl earlier in 2021, as a drive-thru event, but it has returned indoors with more photo opps, educational moments, and, oh squee, a clutch of super-cute baby dinos, too. An advance ticket? You don't want to arrive and roar over not getting in: Start here to secure your 'saur-iously cool day with the dinos.
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First Day Hikes: The holidays? We know: They're go, go, go, and you could probably add several more "goes" to that and not even be exaggerating. But some people choose to stop it all, or at least the go-go-go-a-tude, for a few hours on New Year's Day. To do so, they join a First Day Hike, at a participating California State Park, where they can soak in peaceful sights, admire trees, spy the occasional critter, and get away from the holiday hubbub in order to better reflect on the year ahead. And the hikes are happening at several glorious Golden State beaches, canyons, and wilderness areas. Getting into a park? Fees will vary depending on the park you choose to visit.
Polar Bear Plunges: Another get-outdoors, enjoy-the-breeze bash is coming up on Jan. 1, but this one can be notably chilly and cool. We're talking about the shivery swims and cold plunges, where people in swimsuits dash into the Pacific Ocean, for a few seconds, a minute, or more, all to have some high-jinks-y fun, bond with their neighbors, and even raise money for worthy causes. Several plunges will be popping up in various California communities over the winter months, but both Huntington Beach, and Avalon on Catalina Island, get the goose pimples going on New Year's Day. Other doings, including a pancake breakfast in Huntington Beach, are on the bring-a-sweater-for-later schedules.
