Staking a claim
Where to camp, how to cook and where to find a bathroom while watching the parade and camping out the night before
By Sara Cardine 12/24/2009
When it comes to the Rose Parade, good views don’t come easy.
If you have your heart set on a curbside seat to the festivities and are prepared to stake your claim by camping out the night before, there are a few things you may need to know to stay safe, warm and citation-free.
As much as you may be motivated to beat the crowds, camping out overnight in January isn’t for everyone. Pasadena’s average daytime temperatures on New Year’s Eve are expected to be in the low 50s, according to the 2010 Farmer’s Almanac, so if you’re planning on spending the night on the streets, you’ll need to do all you can to stay warm. Tents are forbidden near the parade route, so make sure you bring good sleeping bags and blankets.
Parade viewers are welcome to begin setting up camp anytime after noon on New Year’s Eve but are not allowed to leave chairs unattended or rope off any areas in their absence. A line of blue tape on the ground indicates how far campers may move into the street after 11 p.m. the night before the parade. Until then, street use is for vehicles only.
If you got so swept up in parade parking frenzy that you failed to consider the logistics of taking bathroom breaks all night, no worries — a number of portable toilets will be set up along blocks to the north and south of the parade route for daytime and nighttime use.
You may not be so lucky, though, finding a place to grab a quick smoke. Last year, city officials clamped down, prohibiting smokers from lighting up outside shopping malls or at any outdoor public event, including parades and fairs. Generally, the defined “safe distance” at which you can smoke is 20 feet or more from any enclosed area where smoking is prohibited, though because it is technically not allowed at the event, make sure you are not near any crowds or are moving away.
If you plan to eat on the street, know that bonfires and open flames of all kinds are prohibited on the parade route, except for “small, professionally manufactured barbeques elevated at least 1 foot off the ground,” according to Police and Fire department guidelines. Weather conditions and other unforeseen circumstances may cause the Fire Department to prohibit any barbecues, in which case roving firefighters will fill people in on the rules.
More people on Pasadena’s main streets will mean more parade-duty police on security detail making sure basic rules are obeyed. Revelers are asked not to leave their cars unattended overnight within one block of the parade route, as any vehicles in the immediate area are subject to search and can be towed if in violation of the city’s parking ordinances. Anyone who witnesses suspicious people, activities or vehicles is encouraged to call the Pasadena Police Department at (626) 744-4241.
For more parade and camping etiquette information, call the Pasadena Police Department at (626) 744-4598 or the Tournament of Roses at (626) 449-4100. A toll-free visitor’s hotline can be accessed at (877) 793-9311.
DIGG | del.icio.us | REDDIT