Oklahoma’s Route 66 centennial now has a parade float aimed at Pasadena. The Oklahoma Route 66 Centennial Commission has unveiled a design for the 138th Rose Parade, scheduled for New Year’s Day 2027.
The float is titled “Past, Present, and Full Speed Ahead.” NewsOn6 reports it will travel down Colorado Boulevard with some of Oklahoma’s most recognizable Route 66 landmarks alongside newer roadside attractions. The commission said the design celebrates the highway’s history, recognizes the communities keeping it alive, and looks toward its future.
A Century, Then the Next One
The title is the assignment. One float is supposed to hold the old road, the places still drawing travelers, and whatever the highway is becoming.
Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell, who chairs the commission, said the entry will mark Route 66’s 100 years, look ahead to the next century, and show that the route is alive and open for business. He also said Oklahoma has been at the heart of the Mother Road, and that its communities, landmarks, and people are what make that stretch special. Those remarks were part of the announcement reported by KFOR.
Parade speed and “full speed ahead” are not quite the same thing. The point of the title is the pitch: a centennial calling card for an international New Year’s audience, not a local festival float that stays on the highway.
The Commission and the Number 66
The Oklahoma Historical Society says the commission was established in 2019 to plan, coordinate, and carry out programs and special events for the highway’s 2026 centennial.
The numerical designation 66 was assigned to the Chicago-to-Los Angeles route on Nov. 11, 1926. The float announcement arrives on that date’s 100th anniversary.
An Oct. 30 commission agenda included discussion and possible action on the Tournament of Roses Parade float design. The public unveiling came in November, after that meeting was already on the calendar.
Welcome on Colorado Boulevard
The parade is set for Friday, Jan. 1, 2027. Business Insider reports the theme is “Welcome.”
For a road whose official number once ran from Chicago to Los Angeles, Colorado Boulevard is a very West Coast place to make the case. KFOR’s account of the float also notes that Oklahoma has the longest drivable stretch of Route 66, more than 400 miles. The Pasadena entry is one way to put that mileage in front of people who will never drive it.
A Separate Job in Catoosa
The centennial is also showing up on the roadside itself. In June 2025, The Oklahoman reported that Catoosa had broken ground on a makeover of the Blue Whale, a Route 66 attraction built more than half a century ago, timed for the Mother Road’s centennial.
That is a preservation project in Catoosa, not the Pasadena float. The parade design is scheduled to roll on Jan. 1, 2027, 51 days after the number 66 itself turned 100.
