January 8, 2020
For an unprecedented fifth time in its prestigious history, the Kamehameha Schools Kapālama Warrior Marching Band & Color Guard and a group of haumāna from KS Maui participated in the 131st Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year's Day in Pasadena, Calif.
KS Kapālama was one of 20 bands from around the world selected to participate based on a variety of criteria including musicianship, marching ability and entertainment or special interest value.
The Rose Parade traveled 5.5 miles down Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, a suburb of Los Angeles. An estimated 800,000 spectators were on hand to watch the parade, and a worldwide television audience of 350 million viewers tuned in.
Over the past three decades, the KS Kapālama Warrior Marching Band & Color Guard has performed across the globe, including visits to Europe (England, France, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Italy and Monaco) as well as China and Japan. In addition to the multiple Tournament of Roses Parade appearances, the program has also performed at President Bill Clinton’s Inaugural Parade (1993), the Sugar Bowl (1997 and 2004), President Barack Obama’s Inaugural Parade (2013), and is still the only band from Hawai‘i to appear in National Football League halftime performances for both the San Francisco 49ers (1993) and Baltimore Ravens (1996).
