“Twisted Sister” of Rose Parade Ready to Roll

The 36th Occasional Doo Dah Parade is ready to march. Fingers crossed.

When do you pull out the word "occasional"?

You likely use it in a casual way when talking about something you might do every now and then -- an occasional cupcake, an occasional trip to the roller rink. Occasional.

It's rarely used in the name of a large-scale, thousands-attend event, however. The Occasional Doo Dah Parade may be the singular exception, though, and use it the organizers do, flagrantly. No surprise, really: The Pasadena procession is billed as the "twisted sister" to the Rose Parade.

The Doo Dah Parade is set to march for the 36th time at 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 27.

Why are they sometimes jokingly referred to as sibling parades? They both happen on Colorado Boulevard, yep, and they're both colorful, it is true, and they've both been around for a number of decades. (The Rose Parade about eight or so decades longer, give or take).

But there the similarities end. The Rose Parade is clockwork, while the Doo Dah kind of shows up on whatever date when it decides to show up. Hence "occasional."

You have to be asked or selected to be in the Rose Parade while you just need ten bucks and an Idea, capital I, to join the Doo Dah.

The Scene

Want to find new things to do in Los Angeles? The Scene's lifestyle stories have you covered. Here's your go-to source on where the fun is across SoCal and for the weekend.

Snack, with style, on the Rose Bowl field and support a great cause

LA says goodbye to the iconic Conga Room

What constitutes an Idea, Doo Dah-style? We'd say "you name it" but that isn't quite broad enough. You can dress as an invisible man, roll around on a motorized couch, do cartwheels the whole route, or some combination of the three? Why? Because. That's all. Just because and nothing more.

It's free to watch, it may or may not start promptly at the announced time, oh, and it happens on East Colorado, not the part of Colorado where the Rose Parade rolls. You'll also want to be prepared since items are often flung into the crowds. Candy, hot dog buns, beads, even the random baked potato.

Yep, it may indeed be occasional, and a little unwieldy, but we'd call it a big Pasadena tradition. Is that okay, Doo Dah Parade? If we break that particular label out? We don't mean to go stuffy on you, but once you've been around for the better part of four decades, you're a Thing. Capital T.

Copyright FREEL - NBC Local Media
Contact Us