Shriners Children’s Float, Hope Shines On, Wows at Rose Parade

It's tradition. Every year, millions of viewers tune into the Rose Parade on January 1 to celebrate the new year with a procession of colorful floats, followed by the Rose Bowl college football game. Presented by Honda, the 136th parade cruised down the streets of Pasadena, California, to the delight of approximately 850,000 onlookers and up to 30 million viewers in the United States and internationally.

Although Shriners Children's has participated in the parade for 14 years, 2025 was special as our ADA-compliant float, Hope Shines On, was the grand finale of the procession. Float riders included International Patient Ambassadors Paige and Grayson, past patients (and fan favorites from our television spots) Alec and Kaleb, Shriners Children's and Shriners International leadership, and other special guests.

The float concept was a colorful oasis where hope and joy reign supreme, which is the world Shriners Children's creates for our patients. Features included a working waterfall as well as birds, butterflies, fish and foliage - all adorned with flowers and greenery. We're thrilled to announce that Hope Shines On received the judges' Queen's Award for the most outstanding presentation of roses, which is a testament to our 400+ volunteers' more than 110 hours of labor. Shriners and their spouses from around the world also participated, and we deeply appreciate all of our volunteers' efforts.

Finally, the Rose Parade ended with a special feature, Flowers to Football. Grayson threw a football from the Shriners Children's float that magically (through the power of CGI) sailed through Pasadena into the stadium for the 111th Rose Bowl game. Former Shriners Children's patient, track and field star, and Paralympic medalist Hunter Woodhall caught the ball to begin the athletic portion of the day's events, pitting the Ohio State Buckeyes against the Oregon Ducks. Woodhall was accompanied by his wife, Tara Davis-Woodhall, another track and field champion and an Olympic medal winner. Shriners Children's patients joined them to kick off the game and celebrate the new year.

Read more about the Shriners Children's float design and our esteemed riders.