The Tournament of Roses – one of the major annual festivals in the United States - is a traditional parade held on the New Year’s Day in Pasadena, California. If New Year’s Day falls on a Sunday, then the tournament observes the parade on Monday. Such a convention was originally instituted because many of the equine participants of the parade wouldn’t have tolerated the pealing sound of church bells. The Tournament of Roses is telecast on multiple television networks and is watched by millions across the country and around the world. The Tournament of Roses was first organized in 1890 by the members of Pasadena's Valley Hunt Club, as a showcase for California’s mild winter weather. The first New Year’s Day parade featured horse-drawn carriages covered in flowers, followed by foot races, polo matches, and a game of tug-of-war, which attracted a crowd of 2,000. Seeing the stunning flower display, Professor Charles F. Holder – a member of the club – suggested the name “Tournament of Roses” for the event. Over the next few years, marching bands and motorized floats would be added to the parade. By 1895, the event became so large for the Valley Hunt Club to handle that the Tournament of Roses Association was subsequently formed, entrusted with the future conduct of the event. In 1902, a football game was added as an enhancement to the festivities. But a lopsided score and a nearly fatal stampede due to the excitement of the crowd forced the authorities to suspend the game until 1916. In its second coming, the game attracted the large crowds. The following years saw the increase in spectators slowly outgrow Tournament Park, and as a result, the call for a new stadium started to gain ground. Eventually, a bigger and modern stadium - the Rose Bowl - was built in 1923. The ever increasing public patronage ensured that every year since 1947, the Rose Bowl Game - nicknamed “The Granddaddy of Them All” - has been a sellout attraction. The Tournament of Roses has come a long way since the early 1900s. The little flower carriages have made way for advance-designed floats with computerized animations and exotic natural materials from all over the world. Today the parade features gorgeous floral floats, high-stepping marching bands, and strikingly beautiful equestrian units, marching in a colorful procession from Ellis Street to Paloma Street – a total distance of 5.5 miles - that lasts for more than two hours. The procession starts at 8 a.m.