Al Roker & Hoda Kotb from 'Today' to Host the Rose Parade's New Year Celebration in Pasadena

Each year, the NBC network hosts the Rose Parade's New Year Celebration to usher in the New Year. The network revealed that the event would be hosted by two “Today” show hosts.

NBC recently announced that the annual Rose Parade’s New Year’s Celebration would go on but with some changes. The event will be hosted by “Today” co-host's Hoda Kotb and Al Roker.

The show will also include some celebrity guests and musical performances. However, this year the event would be quite different due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease.

Hoda Kotb at "The 35 Most Powerful People In Media" celebrated by The Hollywood Reporter on April 8, 2015, in New York City | Photo: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images

The Pasadena event will have to adhere to some safety guidelines which restrict large gatherings because of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the past years, the show has seen more than 700,000 attendants.

The attendees would usually line the 5.5-mile parade route in Pasadena. In an effort to keep everyone safe and practice social distancing, viewers will have to watch the pageantry from home.

One of the performers fans can expect to see on the day includes singer Sheryl Crow. Other people who will feature include Tori Kelly, Mickey Guyton, Rascal Flatts, Lady A, and The War and Treaty.

Some celebrity guests who will appear include Rita Moreno, Shanola Hampton, Daddy Yankee, Vin Scully, Dascha Polanco, Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez, and Rose Bowl Hall of Fame inductee Matt Leinart.

The event, which will be presented by Honda, is scheduled to air on January 1, 2021. It’s set to start airing from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on NBC with some known main attractions in place.

The Rose Parade will focus on its history, the participants, its volunteers, and the flowers that give the show its name. In its lifetime, the parade has only been canceled three times.

It was canceled during the World War II years of 1942, 1943, and 1945. The NBC will be broadcasting the telecast for its 94th year but the event actually began in 1927 as a radio program.

It continued that way until the dawn of television in 1954. The Rose Parade celebration was actually started by the Valley Hunt Club started the celebration in 1890 by hosting carriages decorated with flowers.

Now the event hosts floats, equestrian units, and marching bands that travel five-and-a-half miles down Colorado Boulevard. Gary Sinise and Emeril Lagasse will serve as Grand Marshals for the special.

In November 2020, Roker was able to take part in co-hosting the 94th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade despite a recent medical diagnosis. The weatherman was given a prostate cancer diagnosis.

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