Just as the Rose Parade 2024 kicked off with its traditional excitement and fun, viewers quickly took to X (formerly Twitter) to share their thoughts on this year’s floats.
Many of the reactions have been super positive. “Gorgeous butterfly floats in the Rose Parade,” one X user wrote. Another user added, “First time at the Rose Parade. Really impressive floats.”
However, not every X user was thrilled by this year’s event. One user declared, “The ABSOLUTE WORST commentary in my decades of watching the Rose Parade HAS to be Prime. The worst commentary, [have] no idea who the ppl on floats were, no intelligent commentary at ALL. Please, get adults to do this next year!!!”
This year’s Rose Parade float winners are Kaiser Permanente (President Award), City of Torrance (Princess Award), One Legacy Donate Life (Judges Award), The UPS Store (Bob Hope Humor Award), and Louisiana Office of Tourism (Showmanship).
According to the Rose Parade website, approximately 45 floats were participating in this year’s event. The cost of each float varies but generally begins at around $275,000.
“The Tournament considers floats with both smaller and larger budgets,” the website reads. “The mutually agreed-upon cost for a float is an arrangement between the participating organization and a Tournament of Roses approved builder. The Tournament does not receive any of the funds allocated to the building of a float.”
The Rose Parade float participant fee is $25,000 for commercial entries or $7,500 for non-commercial entries. It is all a non-refundable participation fee and does not include builder costs.
Hoda Kotb Celebrated the New Year With Her Daughters Before Co-Hosting the Rose Parade With Al Roker
Before co-hosting the Rose Parade alongside her Today co-host Al Roker, Hoda Kotb celebrated the new year alongside her two young daughters, Haley and Hope.
In one of her latest Instagram posts, Kotb shared some adorable snapshots of her and her daughters having some fun before the ball dropped. “Thank you 2023 for the love and the lessons,” Kotb captioned the post with the “grateful” hashtag. She shares the adorable girls with her ex-partner, Joel Schiffman. The former couple was together from 2013 to 2022.
While preparing for the Rose Parade’s step off, Kotb shared a selfie of her and Roker with the caption “Lets gooooo.” She also posted inspirational quotes. “In Ireland, on New Year’s Eve at midnight, it’s a tradition to open your backdoor and let the old year out and open your front door to let the new one in. Out with the old, in with the new. I like that.”