Scott's L.A.™ Article:  Rose Parade® Parking

USUALLY  parking in Pasadena is easy.  It’s a grand old city with wide streets and plenty of parking.

Some say that 1,000,000 people are in town for these evemts.  Whatever the exact number is, that’s a lot of people looking for a place to park!
The problem is that in order to make room for the grandstands, television equipment, special electric, video, and data lines, they temporarily block off some sidewalks, street parking, and close a few existing parking lots.
And remember, if you do get towed, getting your car “out of hock” is expensive and requires CASH.

There are many parking alternatives around town but you’ll have to drive around and look for them.  Also know that price differences between them can be huge.

We recommend Pasadena City College.  It’s easy to find, easy to get to, it has plenty of parking.  This is the northwest corner of PCC (1570 E. Colorado Blvd.) at the corner of Colorado Boulevard and Hill Avenue.  Hill is an exit of the 210 Freeway which is just a few blocks north of PCC

About 100 yards south of Colorado is this entrance to PCC’s parking lot at the corner of Hill and Cordova.  The large parking structure in the back is for cars, the outside lot is a great place to park RVs.  Parking is well-organized and patrolled by Security.

RV’s must be “self-contained,” there are NO RV hook-ups on the PCC parking lots.

NOTE:  In November 2007, construction began on new buildings on the north half of this lot, but there is still plenty of room in the south part, and there is additional parking on the east side of campus.

Colorado Boulevard IS the parade route.  Viewing on the sidewalks is absolutely free although you do need to get there early to get a place to sit.

Reserved seating with a better, unobstructed view is available in the grandstands along Colorado Boulevard.  You can see some of the empty grandstand seats on the right, just above the chain link fence.

For reserved seating tickets, prices, and seating locations, contact the Sharp Seating Company.

People are allowed to “stake-out their territory” on the sidewalks starting at noon the day before the parade, then camp out overnight to see the parade.  For Safety and Security, here is the most recent list of parade  “Do’s and Don’ts” from by the Pasadena Police Department.

It can be cold and uncomfortable overnight, but it is free.  And – it’s one giant “block party” – something you won’t forget!  These photos were taken at Noon, 24 hours before the parade started !