Rose Parade 2015 start time, route map and street closures [ABC, NBC TV channel info]

The annual Rose Parade will take place on January 1, 2015 in Pasadena, California.

The 126th Rose Parade will kick off at 8a.m. PT/ 11a.m. ET with the theme "Inspiring Stories" and will go on for two hours.

The parade route will being on the corner of Green Street and Orange Grove Boulevard in Pasadena. The floats, bands, and equines will then turn east onto Colorado Boulevard. Toward the end of the route, the parade will turn north onto Sierra Madre Boulevard, before finishing at Villa Street.

A live stream is available to watch on ABC or KTLA.

Streets will be closed as nearly one million spectators are expected to line the streets to see the Rose parade this year. (see map below)

The parade will broadcast live in the U.S. on ABC, NBC, HGTV, KTLA5, Univision, Red TV, Family Net, Sky Link, and the Hallmark Channel.

The full event guide can be downloaded here.

This year's parade will feature the usual floral floats, marching bands, and equestrian units as they march down the five and a half mile route along Colorado Boulevard.

The floats are covered with thousands of flowers, leaves, seeds or bark. According to the Tournament of Roses website, each float is decorated with more flowers than an average florist will use in five years.

Spectators are expected to line up along the streets for curbside viewing a day before the parade.

The Grand Marshal for the 2015 Tournament of Roses will be Louis Zamperini, Olympian and World War II prisoner. Despite his passing, this year's Tournament of Roses is dedicated to honoring him as the Grand Marshal of the 2015 Parade.

The late Zamperini wrote his life story "Devil at My Heels," which was later documented in best-selling book "Unbroken," which became a New York Times best-seller. The book was then released as a movie of the same title.

The 2014 Rose Parade will be a tribute to a world of dreams and the 101st Rose Bowl Game, which will take place at 1:30 p.m. PT / 4:30p.m. ET on New Year's Day Last minute tickets for the game can be purchased here.

Highlights from the 2014 Rose Parade can be seen in the video below:

This year, Oregon and Florida State are set to face each other. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN TV.

News
Richard Moth appointed as new Archbishop of Westminster
Richard Moth appointed as new Archbishop of Westminster

Bishop Richard Moth has been confirmed as the new Archbishop of Westminster, the most senior post in the Catholic Church in England and Wales. 

The mystery of the Wise Men
The mystery of the Wise Men

The carol assures us that “We three kings of Orient are…” and tells us they were “following yonder star”. Can we be sure there were three of them? Were they kings? Where in the Orient were they from? What was the star they followed? In fact, there is a lot that we just do not know. This is the story …

English Heritage deletes debunked claims about pagan origins of Christmas Day
English Heritage deletes debunked claims about pagan origins of Christmas Day

English Heritage has admitted it got it wrong when it shared false claims that the date of Christmas is derived from a pagan Roman festival in honour of a sun god.

Guinness Book of Records recognises 'the world’s longest serving Sunday School teacher'
Guinness Book of Records recognises 'the world’s longest serving Sunday School teacher'

Pam Knowles started helping out her church Sunday school in 1951 at the age of 13.