Rose Bowl Celebrates 100th Birthday With Iconic Light-Up Across Los Angeles Landmarks

After years of anticipation, the iconic Rose Bowl Stadium turned 100 years old Friday.

The venue first opened on a fall October day in 1922, and has been the home to some of the country’s and world’s most significant sporting and musical events.

In commemoration of the event, lights at Pasadena City Hall, LAX, LA City Hall, Union Station, Sofi Stadium, Banc of California Stadium, the LA Memorial Coliseum, Microsoft theater, and the Rose Bowl itself, were bathed in golden light to celebrate 100 years of “America’s Stadium.”

“We have talked about this moment for several years and there is no way this milestone could have been possible without the continuous support of our tenants, clients, and partners,“ said chief executive officer/general manager Jens Weiden.

“We look forward with excitement to the next 100 years of being a staple in our local community and the bucket list destination to those around the world who turn to Pasadena for sports, music and entertainment,” he added.

Rose Bowl staff led visitors on stadium tours throughout Friday morning and early afternoon, and one visitor‘s group was treated to a surprise guest appearance in the 1922 Locker Room Museum by Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo.

Gordo told the group that the stadium had a special meaning to him since as a 13-year-old neighborhood boy, he sold stuffed footballs at the stadium during games.

Added Gordo, “Pasadena doesn’t just have a stadium, we have ‘America’s Stadium.’”

The first football game at the Rose Bowl was not played on New Year’s Day, but on October 28, 1922. Cal defeated USC, 12-0. 

The stadium was built after years of filling up a nearby field at what was then called Tournament Park, with immense crowds. 

In the early 1920s, college football was just becoming the rage across the nation, and local college football games pitted teams from the West Coast and the East Coast in a nearby field called Tournament Park. However,  in each of the succeeding first few years, attendance doubled at the park.

It was then decided to enlist donations and labor from community members to build the city’s own stadium. The cost ended up being half of the cost of constructing the Coliseum in Los Angeles.

Over the past 100 years the Rose Bowl Stadium has hosted five NFL Super Bowls, two Olympic Games, and both the men’s and women’s FIFA World Cup finals. The Rose Bowl became the official home in 1982 for the UCLA football team.

The stadium has also welcomed the Rolling Stones, BTS, U2, and Coldplay, as well as hosted sold out performances from Jay Z, Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift,  and more.

In the last few years the venue has opened its greens at Brookside golf course to host music festivals such as the Arroyo Seco Weekend, This Ain’t No Picnic, Cruel World, Palomino, and Head in the Clouds festivals, with more to come to the scenic Arroyo Seco location.

The Centennial Celebration is a story of perseverance by highlighting the importance of continuing to conserve America’s Stadium as a National Historic Landmark. Working in tandem with the Rose Bowl Institute and the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation, the non-profit arms of the venue, the history of the Stadium will be preserved and taught to future generations through the development of educational programs. Keeping traditions alive is imperative to ensuring that the Rose Bowl welcomes millions more over the next century.