Seeing Rose Parade floats lined up at the Rose Bowl and then on the parade route

Experiencing the Rose Parade is definitely an event filled with color, music, and the creative genius of local and professional float builders. The 2012 Rose Parade theme was Just Imagine.

Temperature for the parade hit 75 degrees before 10am. But don't think Pasadena is always balmy. Late December 2011 to the parade on Jan 2, 2012 was warm. But many years nighttime temperatures dip into the low 40s and reach the low 60s, casting a chill over those who sleep overnight on the sidewalk. The reason the 2012 parade was held on Monday, January 2 is because it was agreed from the beginning that the parade could never be held on a Sunday if that was New Year's Day.

It's fun to see the floats being built and there's also a chance to see them line up outside the Rose Bowl the night before the parade.

Here are pictures of the Trader Joe's Fearless Flyer float outside the Rose Bowl the night of January 1 lining up and then on the parade route at Colorado Boulevard and Hill Avenue.

The Kinect Xbox 360 Float was lined up, too, and I tried to get a shot of it along the parade route although that was more difficult.

I arrived late at the parade. But since I live two miles from the route, it's not such a bad idea.

The Rose Parade is a wonderful spectacle and a long-standing highlight. The event started when midwesterners who had moved to Pasadena wanted a way to show their friends back in the midwest what life was like in the winter time. While these pictures may look balmy, I've been to one Rose Parade when the weather was in the upper 40s and wind was whipping flowers off floats and rain was driving down hard. Regardless of the weather, it's an event I recommend seeing.