Assuming the 2020 college football season begins in the fall and plays out as scheduled -- a big "if" at this point -- the annual Rose Bowl Game is still set for Jan. 1, 2021. The time-honored tradition of the Rose Parade will not, however. In a statement, Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association announced that the parade will not be hosted that day due to ongoing concerns with COVID-19.
"The health and well-being of our parade participants and guests, as well as that of our volunteer members, professional staff and partners, is our number one priority," said Bob Miller, 2021 President of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association. "Obviously this is not what any of us wanted, and we held off on announcing until we were absolutely sure that safety restrictions would prevent us from continuing with planning for 132nd Rose Parade."
The last time the Rose Parade did not take place was during World War II in 1942, 1943 and 1945. Though the parade is not for another five months, preparations for it have been slowed due to stay-at-home orders in the early days of the United States' shutdown due to the pandemic.
"Like most people, having never lived through a pandemic before ... our thoughts were that the parade was 10 months away and we would be fine," Tournament of Roses Chief Executive David Eads said in an interview with The Los Angeles Times.
The Tournament of Roses is still considering other celebration ideas for Jan. 1, which are expected to be announced later. As for the Rose Bowl Game itself, which is a College Football Playoff semifinal matchup this year, plans are ongoing as it works with partners "to explore what this year's college football season will look like amid COVID-19."
Earlier this month, the State Fair of Texas announced that the 2020 fall event was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns. However, the Red River Showdown between Oklahoma and Texas is still scheduled to take place in the Cotton Bowl, which sits on the fair grounds.
