What to Know
- The 44th Occasional Doo Dah Parade will take place on Sunday, Nov. 19 at 11 a.m. (or thereabouts)
- Queen tryouts are on Sunday, Oct. 8 at 3 p.m. in Old Towne Pub
- All are invited to audition for the outlandish and imaginative role
The search and selection of a royal to appear in a parade is a tony and time-honored tradition in many cities, including, of course, Pasadena.
For it is in the Crown City that the Rose Parade, that flowery and magnificent New Year's Day celebration, takes petal-packed place.
But Pasadena has also been home to another procession for several decades, an on-the-move revelry that sometimes starts on time and usually happens each year, though not always in the same location.
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That lead-up should immediately reveal that we're ballyhooing about the Pasadena Doo Dah Parade, an always-on-a-Sunday event created, in good-natured response, to the never-on-a-Sunday Rose Parade.
And like any parade, the Doo Dah needs its head royal, a person that can represent the quirky qualities embodied by the rollicking roll, which first set out on Colorado Boulevard in 1978.
Aspiring Doo Dah Queens, you'll want to don whatever makeshift tiara you have and find an impromptu scepter before you pomp-and-circumstance your way to Old Towne Pub on the afternoon of Oct. 8.
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The Doo Dah Queen Tryouts are open to all, so be not shy nor dissuaded. You don't have to know the Doo Dah, inside and out, to give your audition a glad-hearted go.
The opportunity is open to "folks of every gender, shape, age, and persuasion," share the organizers.
Queenly aspirants will "... test their (mettle) to become the 2023 Doo Dah Queen! On hand for the wild ride will be contestants, equally-costumed judges (including many former queens!), veteran parade entrants, tryout supporters, and people too curious to stay away!"
That's right: If you're "too curious to stay away" but don't intend to throw your own crown in the ring, you are invited to stop by and join the joyful revelries.
Past queens have sung, danced, displayed a singular talent or ability, and/or arrived fabulously attired in incredibly offbeat outfits. Perusing photos of the Doo Dah Parade will provide amble inspiration on this imaginative front if you're considering making a regal run for the major role.
The Pasadena Doo Dah Parade returns to Old Town Pasadena on Nov. 19, starting at 11 in the morning... maybe. Probably?
As with all things Doo Dah, the start time is a bit up-in-the-air-ish. It's a tangy testament to a free-spirited tradition, one that is led, in lively and loving fashion, by one truly magical and magnificent queen.
Pictured: Jesselynn Desmond, the Queen of the 2019 Doo Dah Parade
