The Fresno State Bulldog Marching Band was selected by the Tournament of Roses Association as an official participant of the 2023 Rose Parade on Jan. 2, 2023, in Pasadena. This will be the band’s first Rose Parade appearance in program history.
In addition to the Rose Parade, the band will perform in the Tournament of Roses Bandfest field show with other participating marching bands, in an opportunity to showcase their musicianship and pageantry.
“The Tournament of Roses Parade is the pinnacle of honor for a college marching band, and I am immensely proud of what our student-musicians have achieved,” said Steve McKeithen, director of the Bulldog Marching Band. “We cannot wait to perform for the hundreds of thousands of people who will line the parade route as we represent Fresno State in ‘The Granddaddy of Them All,’ the 2023 Rose Parade.”
McKeithen started the application process in early 2020. The application consisted of general information about the program and a five-minute video explaining the history of the program, recent accomplishments and performances. The application was for the 2022 Rose Parade, but the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the cancellation of the 2021 Tournament of Roses, which pushed applicants back a year.
The 270-member Fresno State Bulldog Marching Band is the largest student organization on campus, with members representing all eight of the various schools and colleges on campus and consisting of a diverse group of students from all over California, the United States and the world.
“We’re so excited that the Bulldog Marching Band will be representing Fresno State in the Rose Parade on Jan. 2, 2023,” said Dr. Honora Chapman, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at Fresno State. “About 50 million people around the world will be able to hear the musical pride of the Valley play. We hope you can join us in Pasadena.”
In the past decade, the band has performed at five bowl games and two NFL games. It was featured in the launch of Just Dance 2019, the 2018 E3 Expo and has been invited to perform in the 2023 St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland with nine other marching bands from the Mountain West Conference.
