The Tournament of Roses Parade is the 114-year-old traditional parade held on New Year's Day in Pasadena, California. Rooted in tradition, watched by upwards of one million spectators on the parade route, and seen by hundreds of millions more on television. It is traditionally followed by the Tournament's other event, the Rose Bowl college football game. (2005 Rose Bowl Game: University of Michigan Vs. University of Texas)

History
First staged in 1890 by members of Pasadena's Valley Hunt Club, the Tournament of Roses has quite evidently undergone major change.

Many of the members of the Valley Hunt Club were former residents of the American east and midwest. They wished to showcase their new California home's mild winter weather. At a club meeting, Professor Charles F. Holder announced, "In New York, people are buried in the snow. Here our flowers are blooming and our oranges are about to bear. Let's hold a festival to tell the world about our paradise."

And so the Club decided to organize their first New Year's Day parade. Horse-drawn carriages covered in flowers, followed by foot races, polo matches, and a game of tug-of-war on the town lot attracted a crowd of 2000 to the event. Upon seeing the scores of flowers on display, the Professor decided to suggest the name "Tournament of Roses".

Over the next few founding years, marching bands and motorized floats were added. By 1895, the event was too large for the Valley Hunt Club to handle, hence the Tournament of Roses Association was formed. By the eleventh annual Tournament (1900), the town lot on which the activities were held was re-named Tournament Park. Activities soon included ostrich races, bronco busting demonstrations, and an odd novelty race between a camel and an elephant. (The elephant won the race.) Soon, reviewing stands were built along the parade route, and newspapers in eastern seaboard cities started to take notice of the event.

Parade
The Tournament of Roses Parade has followed the same route for many decades. It starts by going north on South Orange Grove Boulevard, beginning at Ellis Street. It proceeds east on Colorado Boulevard to Sierra Madre Boulevard. Turning north on Sierra Madre, it ends at Paloma Street. In total, this route is 5½ miles long.

Themes
1918 Patriotism
1919 Victory Tournament
1920-1926 No Themes
1927 Songs in Flowers
1928 States & Nations in Flowers
1929 Poems in Flowers
1930 Festival Days in Flowers
1931 Dreams in Flowers
1932 Nations & Games in Flowers
1933 Fairy Tales in Flowers
1934 Tales of the Seven Seas
1935 Golden Legends
1936 History in Flowers
1937 Romance in Flowers
1938 Playland Fantasies
1939 Golden Memories
1940 20th Century in Flowers
1941 America in Flowers
1942 The Americas
1943 We're in to Win
1944 Memories of the Past
1945 Hold a Victory so Hardly Won
1946 Victory, Unity and Peace
1947 Holidays in Flowers
1948 Our Golden West
1949 Childhood Memories
1950 Our American Heritage
1951 Joyful Living
1952 Dreams of the Future
1953 Melodies in Flowers
1954 Famous Books in Flowers
1955 Familiar Sayings in Flowers
1956 Pages From the Ages
1957 Famous Firsts in Flowers
1958 Daydreams in Flowers
1959 Adventures in Flowers
1960 Tall Tales and True
1961 Ballads in Blossom
1962 Around the World in Flowers
1963 Memorable Moments
1964 Symbols of Freedom
1965 Headlines in Flowers
1966 It's a Small World
1967 Travel Tales in Flowers
1968 Wonderful World of Adventure
1969 A Time to Remember
1970 Holidays Around the World
1971 Through the Eyes of a Child
1972 The Joy of Music
1973 Movie Memories
1974 Happiness Is ...
1975 Heritage of America
1976 America, Let's Celebrate!
1977 The Good Life
1978 On the Road to Happiness
1979 Our Wonderful World of Sports
1980 Music of America
1981 The Great Outdoors
1982 Friends and Neighbors
1983 Rejoice!
1984 A Salute to the Volunteer
1985 The Spirit of America
1986 A Celebration of Laughter
1987 A World of Wonders
1988 Thanks to Communications
1989 Celebration 100
1990 A World of Harmony
1991 Fun 'n' Games
1992 Voyages of Discovery
1993 Entertainment on Parade
1994 Fantastic Adventure
1995 SPORTS-Quest for Excellence
1996 Kids' Laughter & Dreams
1997 Life's Shining Moments
1998 Hav'n Fun
1999 Echoes of the Century
2000 Celebration 2000: Visions of the Future
2001 Fabric of America
2002 Good Times
2003 Children's Dreams, Wishes and Imagination
2004- Music Music Music
2005- Celebrate Family

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org (Wikipedia Encyclopedia)