Marching groups from around the world showcased The Melody of Life theme at this year’s Rose Parade while The Ohio State University and University of Washington bands pumped up their football teams and fans at the Rose Bowl Game. Enjoy our 12th annual photo spread.
Neither hurricanes nor a float on fire could stop the 2019 Rose Parade bands from making their way through Pasadena, California, for “America’s New Year Celebration.” This year singer Chaka Khan served as grand marshal.
The groups also performed their field shows in the annual Bandfest presented by Remo.
Participating Bands
Congratulations to all of the participating ensembles.
- Alabama State University Mighty Marching Hornets from Montgomery, Alabama
- All-Izumo (Japan) Honor Green Band
- Banda Escolar de Guayanilla (Puerto Rico)
- Banda Municipal de Acosta from San José, Costa Rica
- Calgary (Alberta, Canada) Stampede Showband
- Cavalcade of Bands Honor Band
- Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Incomparable Marching 100 from Tallahassee, Florida
- Flower Mound (Texas) High School Band
- Lassiter High School Band from Marietta, Georgia
- Lincoln-Way Marching Band from New Lenox, Illinois
- Los Angeles Unified School District All District High School Honor Band
- Mercer Island (Washington) High School Marching Band
- Munford (Tennessee) High School Band
- Na Koa Ali’i – Hawaii
All State Marching Band from Kaneohe, Hawaii - The Ohio State University Marching Band from Columbus, Ohio
- Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps from Diamond Bar, California
- Pasadena City College Tournament of Roses Herald Trumpets and Honor Band
- Pickerington (Ohio) Marching Band
- Royal Swedish Cadet Band from Karlskrona, Sweden
- Salvation Army Tournament of Roses Band from Long Beach, California
United States Marine Corps West Coast Composite Band- University of Washington Husky Marching Band from Seattle, Washington
While the University of Washington and The Ohio State University have each gone to the Tournament of Roses many times, this season marked its first matchup at the prestigious event.
During pregame, the two bands joined together to perform “God Bless America” in commemoration of the song’s 100th anniversary in 2018. Each also gave a variation of its traditional pregame.
For halftime, Washington performed Broadway Blockbusters—“Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Oklahoma,” and “Phantom of the Opera.”
“When you perform for a worldwide audience in ‘The Granddaddy of Them All,’ you want to perform a show that is going to appeal to many decades of fans, and that is why we [performed] … some of the biggest hits in Broadway history,” says Dr. Brad McDavid, director of athletic bands at Washington.
Ohio State performed a Queen tribute with “Fat Bottomed Girls,” “Bicycle Race,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” and “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
“This season was particularly remarkable because our students had the privilege of marching in the nation’s most prestigious two parades,” says Dr. Christopher Hoch, director of marching and athletic bands at Ohio State. “On Thanksgiving Day, we marched into Herald Square as part of our first-ever appearance in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and only 40 days later, we were marching down Colorado Boulevard in sunny Pasadena and celebrating a Rose Bowl victory. These are experiences that only marching band can provide!”
Photo courtesy of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses.
following hurricanes in 2017. The Mercer Island (Washington) High School Marching Band, which also marched in this year’s parade, helped the group by fundraising on behalf of both organizations. The two previously marched in the 2012 Rose Parade and planned several joint events leading to this year’s big moment. Photo courtesy Ken Martinson, Marching.com.
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