Tens of thousands of people gathered under partly cloudy skies Wednesday morning for the 131st annual Rose Parade, cheering scores of colorful floats that rolled down the 5.5-mile route. This year’s theme was “The Power of Hope.”
The Rose Parade had three grand marshals this year: Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez, actress Gina Torres and actress, dancer and singer Rita Moreno.
Clad in a fuzzy white sweater and a tiara, Moreno waved and smiled at the crowd as her old-fashioned car adorned in roses passed along the parade route. “My grandsons!” she yelled to the TV cameras, pointing at two young men sitting next to her.
Nearly 800,000 people were expected to attend the Rose Parade and the Rose Bowl, both organized by the Tournament of Roses Assn. Special security was in place to protect the throngs.
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