Pasadena Tournament of Roses

Each New Year's Day, the world focuses its attention on Pasadena, California, U.S.A., home of the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game. It's a celebration more than a century old--a festival of flowers, music and sports unequaled anywhere in the world. The Tournament is more than just a parade and football game. It's America's New Year Celebration, a greeting to the world on the first day of the year, and a salute to the community spirit and love of pageantry that have thrived in Pasadena for more than a century.

An event as large as the Tournament of Roses takes about 80,000 hours of combined manpower each year. That manpower is supplied by 935 volunteer members of the Tournament of Roses Association, a volunteer organization dedicated to presenting an internationally recognized New Year’s celebration. Each volunteer is assigned to one of 35 committees, with responsibilities ranging from selecting parade participants to directing visitors on New Year's Day, to serving hamburgers to band members at the end of the parade route, to giving presentations about the Tournament to community groups.

Nicknamed "White Suiters" because of the distinctive white uniform every volunteer wears, these community-spirited men and women give up their evenings, weekends and holidays to ensure the success of the Parade and Game. A small full-time staff provides support and continuity to the volunteer organization.