Tournament of Roses gets into the spirit of April Fools with airy gag
Oh, you should have seen your face! Rose Parade fans hyperventilated, and Tournament of Roses members threatened to turn in their badges when the hallowed Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association airily posted that it will float a first-ever giant inflatable balloon down Colorado Boulevard on Jan. 1, 2026.
“Everything’s coming up roses, and so are the balloons!” the post read, under the headline, “Rose Parade to feature giant balloons.” An accompanying photo showed an admittedly beautiful red inflatable held aloft by unsmiling men in red jumpsuits.
The association’s social media followers on Instagram and Facebook took a minute to remember the date, April 1, and get in on the April Fools’ joke.
April 1, of course, is the day when corporate brands, and pretty much anyone with an imagination and online presence feels it appropriate to post inaccurate information.
Joel Sizemore liked the idea, but asked, “I thought there was a requirement that flowers had to be a part of every entry?” before others pointed out all the hot air blowing around the post.
Others referenced the Tournament’s clever bow to “our balloon builders at April Fools, Inc. for making this all possible.”
While many parade loyalists confessed their blood pressure spiked at the apparent news, others online said they don’t hate the lofty idea, except for maybe, the trees along the 5.5 parade route? And that bridge?
Almost 1,000 people on Facebook chimed in on the tall tale.
Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix decorated Rose Parade floats as a student at Cal Poly Pomona. She said she has lots of experience making balloon art too.
“I’m embarrassed that I immediately started thinking about the logistics and specs for covering that balloon in rose petals to meet Tournament of Roses requirements before checking the calendar,” she wrote.
One commenter took the opportunity to throw shade at the Rose Parade’s East Coast cousin that does indeed feature giant balloons paraded down New York City streets. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade is a cherished tradition in those parts, and arguably for a wide television audience. But at 98 years and counting, it can’t dethrone the Rose Parade, which will kick off for the 137th time next year.
Mark Leavens, Tournament of Roses president, picked “The Magic of Teamwork” as the parade theme, a sentiment the folks at the “T of R” who thought up the April Fools’ gag can appreciate. The social media team had a lot of fun crafting the announcement, said Nicholas Carreno, manager of marketing and communications for the association.
“We were excited to play on the excitement of parade lore,” he added. “We have enjoyed poking fun at ourselves over the past few years with April Fools posts.”
In 2023, they announced hair can be used as a natural material on floats, as it is an “often-overlooked natural material.” Last year, they extolled the creation of the world’s smallest snail-sized float, because, hey, bigger isn’t always better.
Finding the humor in anything after a devastating first three months of 2025 post Eaton and Palisades fires is a welcome respite, most agreed.
“The Rose Parade has always been about hope, joy, creativity and spectacle, so we couldn’t resist having a little fun imagining what a larger-than-life balloon might look like on Colorado Boulevard,” said David Eads, CEO of the Tournament of Roses. “We love how passionate our community is about keeping the floral tradition alive — no inflatables needed!”
On Facebook, Sharon Johnson punctuated her appreciation with a laugh-crying emoji, heart emoji and, of course, a red rose emoji.
“Best April Fool’s ever! Thanks for the heart attack this morning,” she wrote.