The Wild, Wacky Legacy of the Doo Dah Parade

[00:00:02] Have you ever heard of a parade where the rules are that there are no rules? [00:00:07] Welcome to Pasadena's legendary Duda Parade, one of the weirdest, funniest and most chaotic celebrations ever held in Southern California. The Do Da parade started in 1978 when a group of artists and musicians at a Pasadena bar decided to create a counter parade to the super traditional Rose Parade. [00:00:26] Their idea? [00:00:27] A parade where anyone could join creativity, was king, and the more absurd, the better. [00:00:33] Over the years, the Doo Dah Parade featured everything from dry land, synchronized swimmers, unicycling Vikings and lawn chair drill teams to political satire, floats and the always unpredictable Queen of Doo Dah. [00:00:46] It became a national phenomenon, appearing on tv, in magazines and inspiring copycat parades across the country. [00:00:54] The last official parade happened in 2019, but its legacy of creativity, humor and joyful weirdness still inspires SoCal culture today. [00:01:04] So if you ever hear someone say Do Da, just know they're talking about the parade where weird wins.