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It wasn’t New Year’s Day, but it was still a fiesta of fabulous florals, brash brass bands and surprisingly blue mid-storm skies. Pasadena鈥檚 134th Rose Parade rolled anew on Monday, Jan. 2, amid towering floats, soaring musical performances and the big boom of a military flyover.

Shortly after 8 a.m., two B-1 Bombers thundered in the San Gabriel Valley sky, and over Pasadena, marking the beginning of a 5.5-mile spectacle that has come a long way since 1890, when chariots, jousting and tug-of-wars marked the first Tournament of Roses.

An emotional Rose Parade Grand Finale performance by Grammy winning singer Tanya Tucker and Pasadena鈥檚 First AME Praise Team choir concluded the day’s festivities, when many began a trek to the Rose Bowl to watch Penn State and Utah battle it out on the gridiron.

Hours prior, floats, famed equestrians and world-renowned bands — some a year in the planning — began a 5.5-mile trudge through town that delighted millions around the globe.

In tow was s, who was set to later conduct the coin toss for the Rose Bowl Game.

Giffords, the former Arizona congresswoman turned fierce gun control advocate after she suffered severe head injuries in a mass shooting outside a grocery store in her home state was announced grand marshal in October听.

鈥淚鈥檓 incredibly excited and honored to be this year鈥檚 Grand Marshal for the 134th Rose Parade. The Rose Parade has such an amazing history and this year鈥檚 theme, 鈥淭urning the Corner鈥� resonates deeply with me,鈥� Giffords said.

I'm so excited to be Grand Marshal of the 2023 tomorrow!

I鈥檒l be in the parade in the morning alongside marching bands, floats, and horses. Then there's the bowl game later that day where I'll toss the coin.

I'm already looking forward to the new year!

— Gabrielle Giffords (@GabbyGiffords)

Giffords added it抖阴ap amazing to come together with people from across the United States to celebrate the new year and a collective turning of the corner.

Giffords joked she鈥檚 tried to get plenty of rest before the big day, 鈥渁nd I鈥檝e been practicing my coin toss for the game,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 wait to celebrate the new year with so many friends new and old.鈥�

The sentiment rang throughout the parade鈥檚 5.5-mile route on Monday, where 鈥淲hite Suiters鈥� and the parade鈥檚 Royal Court readied to turn the corner into 2023.

Parents of members of the Taipei First Girls High School marching band arrived on Dec 27. They don鈥檛 have enough time, they said, to explore all of , but they are thrilled to be at

— Lisa Ann Jacobs (@lisaannjacobs)

was the 21st time the famed procession started on a Monday in the century since the Tournament of Roses began. The Tournament, itself a tradition full of traditions, last invoked the practice in 2017.

was not lost in the Monday, though.

Two years removed from a cancellation in 2021 due to the ongoing pandemic, this year鈥檚 procession from Orange Grove Boulevard to Sierra Madre Boulevard sought to turn the corner from the changing times of COVID.

听鈥� 鈥淭urning the Corner鈥� 鈥� from 2023 Pasadena Tournament of Roses President Amy Wainscott didn鈥檛 specifically reference the pandemic, but there was a strong hint:

鈥淭urning a corner means rising above 鈥� alone, or with family, friends and community,鈥� Wainscott wrote in the January announcement. 鈥淭his year, as we turn the corner together, we share in the hope, beauty and joy of what 2023 will bring.鈥�

• Read more Rose Parade coverage听.

Wainscott, the fourth woman to be president of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association, has repeated the sentiment many times in leadup to the parade, which assembled dozens of floats, 21 marching bands and .

The placement of the entries was carefully crafted, but they all depicted the theme using natural materials like sesame seed, cinnamon and, of course, roses.

Wainscott said Monday she has no words to describe the pageantry of this year’s parade.

“The people are so happy the weather is fabulous,” Wainscott said. “I had a good feeling about it. I knew it would be good.”

The Pasadena City College Tournament of Roses Band and famed Herald Trumpets drew a few ooh and aahs when they preceded the arrival of 鈥� a 17-year-old Altadena teen with a love for sports, community service and collecting vinyl records who was named the 104th Rose Queen.

Ballard, fitted in a traditional white gown, united with the Rose Court,听 who hope to .听The court waved while the green gowns of Ballards’ peers sparkled in the sun.

It wasn’t all roses on the parade route, particularly for Mayor Victor Gordo and Danny Trejo. The pair had to walk for some time after a 1907 Autobus suffered a mechanical malfunction, according to city leaders.

Other notable appearances on Colorado Boulevard Jan. 2 included the 鈥淔eed Your Soul鈥� entry from the Louisiana Office of Tourism, a float driven by Steve Altmayer of Chatsworth, a 63 year-old .

The award-winning float and mid-parade performance by Laine Hardy and the New Orleans-based Hot 8 Brass Band wowed viewers around the world despite stalling for a few minutes in the middle of the action.

Penn State band members and riders on the 鈥淧rotecting the Wild鈥� float entry from Mutual of Omaha hurried to catch up once the situation was resolved, an easy task considering the floats typically move slower than 5 miles-per-hour.

is the second consecutive year the Louisiana float has had hiccups in the Rose Parade. as a result.

The Fresno State Marching Band could be seen lagging behind their bandmates long after the ordeal was fixed. The Norfolk State University “Spartan Legion,” meanwhile, sought to show the world the power of the green and gold — the HBCU’s famous tagline.

On one hand, the parade was international in scope. On the other hand, it was uniquely local, with entries from Pasadena and surrounding cities such as Downey, La Ca帽ada Flintridge, Pomona, Torrance, Alhambra, City of Hope, Los Angeles and the Inland Empire.

Crowds were slightly smaller than previous years, but it was hard to tell from the parade route where the excitement remained palpable down on Orange Grove Boulevard into the afternoon.

“Hot dogs,” a street vendor yelled out as he pushed his cart through a mass of hundreds near Colorado Boulevard.

Michel McCormick from Pomona immediately started singing a song that fit the joyous mood of her 40th parade.

The Cambron Family of 鈥淓astside鈥� Pasadena set up a tamale stand along the Rose Parade route. Tupac鈥檚 song “Smile” boomed on a speaker while two men danced in the morning, resembling the flames visible in nearby fire pits.

The Fuller family from Herriman, Utah missed their beloved Utes in last year鈥檚 Rose Bowl game but watched while on a Mexican cruise.

The first-time parade attendees described Pasadena as “a cute little town,” Melanie Fuller said. 鈥淚 love the energy here.鈥�

This is the Fuller family from Herriman, Utah. They missed the in last year鈥檚 game but watched while on a Mexican cruise. They are all first-time goers. 鈥淚t抖阴ap a cute little town,鈥� Melanie Fuller said. 鈥淚 love the energy here.鈥�

— Lisa Ann Jacobs (@lisaannjacobs)

With pandemic supply chain issues lingering, the task to complete the builds and听 in time for Jan. 2 was anything but easy as professional and self-built groups struggled to compile volunteers and supplies from across the world.

The week鈥檚 heavy rain also forced volunteers to don ponchos, rain boots and umbrellas as they ventured to听听and听听on racoons and wild bears riding scooters.

The specter of rain hovered in the morning with pre-parade temperatures along the 5.5-mile route hovering around 43 degrees.

Die-hard spectators, determined to overcome frigid weather, began hitting the streets on Sunday morning with a plan to camp out overnight for the best spots.

Wendy Araujo noted she wasn鈥檛 bothered by the chilly morning as others around shivered and downed hot cocoa.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been coming for years,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e seen it much colder than this.鈥�

Once the morning affair began, many in the grandstands would shield their eyes from the sun as they struggled to catch a glimpse of the action.

Some parade-goers in 2022

This year, vaccination and masking mandates were a phenomenon of the past this parade, even though health experts weren’t sure the world was 听and听.

鈥淲e say turning the corner, but we鈥檙e at a very high point right now with numbers,鈥� said Lisa Derderian, PIO for the City of Pasadena, which has its own health department.

In addition to coronavirus variants, there were still colds, flus and respiratory syncytial virus to contend with, said Derderian.

As tens of thousands of visitors descended upon Pasadena this week, Derderian said health officers were thankful the city鈥檚 biggest tourist draws 鈥� the Rose Parade and the 109th Rose Bowl Game 鈥� were held outside.

Nurse Kathy Day from Bakersfield and her Red Cross first aid crew roamed crowds throughout the morning to see who they can help. She and local officials response to service calls mostly relating to minor lacerations and fires

Come the conclusion of the morning procession, Rose Parade floats were required to go under the 210 Freeway bridge on San Gabriel Boulevard.

Some of the taller floats were forced to put their animatronics to work, as a result, which was a sight to behold alongside the Utah Utes marching band.

University of Utah had the crowd so animated!! 馃尮

— Christina Merino (@christinam_love)

Posing near the rose-covered Norton Simon Museum, sisters Gloria and Raquel Legaspi tried to grasp the beauty that Pasadena had to offer.

“I love the spectacle of it all,鈥� Gloria Legaspi said. 鈥淚t抖阴ap the grandest of the parades — the colors and all. It抖阴ap just beautiful.鈥�

Raquel added, 鈥淭he spirit here is jovial. Everyone is so happy.鈥�

City leaders expect the parade route to reopen by 2 p.m. Jan 2.

Pasadena Police Officer Justin Meeks, who rode at the parade鈥檚 head, said, “It’s a long day, but a good day.”

He and his fellow officers expect to immediately head to the Rose Bowl Game as soon as their job on Colorado Boulevard is complete.

Princess Jeannine Briggs said it was nice to see everybody’s faces throughout the event.

“Everything really goes by fast,” she added.