Where Should I Watch The Rose Parade From?

June 3, 2009 8:44 PM

Where is the best place to watch the Rose Festival Parade this weekend? OK, Portland is the best place since that's where the parade is, but I mean specifically...

Where are the best spots to watch from, and what time would I have to get there? Got any Grand Floral Parade watching tips?!?

posted by pdxgirl42 to Grab Bag (5 answers total)

I can't help you with where to watch it from, but I can tell you that staking out a spot overnight without being there all night is now illegal and will get your spot removed by the time you show up in the morning. If you're hoping to get a good spot, either plan on camping out all night or get up really early to get there.

According to the parade's website, you can put chairs down starting Friday morning, but you have to be there with your chairs all day and all night or you'll lose them and your spot. Camping out is permitted starting Friday evening.
posted by pdb at 9:38 PM on June 3, 2009

Best by what criteria? If you have a television then that will almost certainly qualify as the best place to watch the parade. Better and more varied viewpoints, more comfortable, less crowded. Almost any live event can be viewed with greater fidelity on TV. Parades, concerts, sporting events, inaugurations. The experience is diminished, but you can see really well.

The parade will be televised live: Saturday, June 6 at 10:00 a.m. on KGW NewsChannel 8 and Northwest Cable News.
posted by Jeff Howard at 1:50 AM on June 4, 2009

Find a friend with an apt downtown! This is hard, however...

Getting there early is really the key...and no, you can't camp anymore.
posted by Lutoslawski at 10:22 AM on June 4, 2009

Lutoslawski - as I understand it, you can in fact camp, starting tonight; what you can't do is mark off a spot with tape and empty chairs and leave, expecting your saved spot to be there at 8AM tomorrow. If you're there in person from tonight through the parade, you're fine.
posted by pdb at 10:39 AM on June 4, 2009

"Find a friend with an apt downtown! This is hard, however..."

I assume you mean a friend with an apartment on the parade route. I have an apartment downtown (as does my friend pdxgirl), but neither of us is on the route. God, that would be awesome.
posted by 2oh1 at 12:08 PM on June 4, 2009