The PUSD All-Star Band has earned a spot in the 138th Rose Parade through competitive audition. The 121-member ensemble will march down Colorado Boulevard on Jan. 1, 2027.

It is the first time in 50 years that a Pasadena Unified School District band won a Rose Parade slot through audition, according to the district's website. The band competed against marching groups from around the world for the spot.

The All-Star Band draws students from all four PUSD high schools: Blair, John Muir Early College Magnet, Thurgood Marshall Secondary and Pasadena High. Four drum majors, one from each school, lead the ensemble alongside 20 color guard performers and 12 dancers, Pasadena Weekly reported.

The band last appeared in the parade in 2022, but that was a special invitation from the Tournament of Roses president. This time, the students earned their way in.

In March 2025, months after the Eaton Fire, students and staff came together to produce the band's audition video. Pasadena Weekly described the effort as a step in the district's recovery.

"Being selected to march in the Rose Parade for my hometown is a dream come true … Wearing the colors of all four of our high schools reminds me that we are one Pasadena, and I am so proud to represent it," said Santiago Smith Ruiz, a senior and the All-Star Band's head drum major.

Band director Karen Klages told ABC7 in September 2025 that the competitive selection felt different. "Last time we did it, it was an invite, so I feel like we really made it," Klages said.

The Tournament of Roses announced the full 21-band lineup in March. A volunteer committee selects bands based on musicianship, marching ability and entertainment value. PUSD is one of three Pasadena-based entries, joining Pasadena City College's Herald Trumpets and its Tournament of Roses Honor Band.

Formed in 2020, the All-Star Band is mentored by teachers from all four high schools. Members also mentor younger musicians through PUSD's Elementary Music Festival.

Before the Rose Parade, the band will perform in the Hollywood Christmas Parade on Nov. 29 and at Band Fest at Pasadena City College in December.

The band is part of what the district calls an "All-Star Year." More than 350 students across both the band and the district's All-Star Musical are involved.

That musical, a student production of "Les Misérables" produced in association with Pasadena Playhouse, runs Feb. 17-21, 2027, in the Gladiss Edwards Auditorium at Pasadena High School. Five public performances are planned, with roughly 6,000 student and community audience members expected.

Superintendent Elizabeth Blanco said in a district statement that the programs show what happens when a community invests in its students.

Program and performance information is available at pusd.us/arts.