Pasadena’s Quirky Doo Dah Parade Sets Record With Over 100 Entries For Sunday’s Spectacle

An unexpected surge in participation has pushed entry numbers past 100 for Pasadena’s irreverent Doo Dah Parade, marking a historic milestone for the event’s 45th anniversary.

The parade, scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 24 at 11 a.m.  in Old Pasadena, has seen an unprecedented wave of registrations that continues to grow, according to Patricia Hurley, Managing Director of Light Bringer Project.

“Sunday’s event, it’s growing and growing… today we’ve crossed a hundred entries,” Hurley said. “We’re getting more each day, and it’s kind of surprising because normally it would start to wind down a little bit, but instead it’s amping up.”

Named “America’s Best Parade” by Reader’s Digest, this year’s lineup features eclectic entries including “Invisibility” performers, pink pogo riders, Parrothead groups, and Bob Ross impersonators.

“We have a ladies’ motorcycle group that had actually yarn bombed their motorcycles, we’ve got some 13-year-old girls who have a heavy metal group,” Hurley said. “They’re going to play on a vintage pickup truck. And their family, their parents are going to be walking around as they’re groupies.”

The parade, which began in 1978 at Chromos Bar in Pasadena as an alternative to the Rose Parade, will feature a democracy statue from Northern California, Hurley said.

“It’s coming from an art sculpture park dedicated to democracy,” she explained.

A newly expanded Royal Court will include Queen Sparrow Dena, with Royal Light and Royal Night positions serving as “gargoyle protectors” either flanking or preceding her in the parade’s first third.

The nonprofit event, supporting public school youth arts programs, has maintained its traditions, including tortilla throwing, now featuring a specially designed taco cart for the activity.

After successfully returning to its original Old Pasadena location in 2023 following cancellations in 2020 and 2021, the parade remains open for registration until Saturday afternoon, with day-of registration available for experienced participants.

Organizers recommend arriving by 10 a.m., with pre-parade activities at Memorial Park staging area and Fat Boys food truck service beginning at 8 a.m.

The route will proceed south from Raymond Avenue and Holly Street for two blocks before turning right onto Colorado Boulevard and concluding at Pasadena Avenue.

Post-parade celebrations will continue at Old Towne Pub for those 21 and older and at Dog Haus for all ages, with public transportation available via Metro A Line to Memorial Park station.