Morgan’s marching band set to Ignite at the legendary Tournament of Roses

As Morgan State University’s marching band, the Magnificent Marching Machine, continues to ride high after becoming the first and only historically Black college or university to perform at the D-Day Memorial Parade in France this past June, the ensemble is set to add another historic achievement to its list of accomplishments. 

During an energy-filled halftime show at Morgan State’s 2024 homecoming game against Lincoln University (Pa.), Dr. Jorim Reid, the university’s director of bands and assistant professor and coordinator of instrumental music, announced that the band has been selected to perform in the 137th Rose Parade on Jan. 1, 2026, in Pasadena, California.

Founded in 1890, the Rose Parade, also known as the Tournament of Roses, is an annual New Year’s Day celebration featuring grand floral floats, marching bands and equestrian units along a 5 1/2–mile route down Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena.

More than 50 million viewers tune in to the parade each year, and nearly 70,000 visitors gather in Pasadena to see the elaborately decorated floats up close.

College and high school bands are selected by members of the Tournament of Roses Association based on musical ability, performance quality, entertainment value and overall interest. Morgan’s band has consistently met those standards, even securing another historic milestone in 2019 when it became the only Maryland HBCU to perform in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

For many marching bands, an invitation to just one of these nationally celebrated events may seem like a dream. But for Morgan’s Magnificent Marching Machine, the Rose Parade brings them closer to completing what many consider the “triple crown” of America’s most prestigious parades.

Tory James, a senior music major and head drum major, said the opportunity feels monumental.

“I was very excited knowing out of the three big accomplishments a marching band could ever receive, I’m blessed to be able to do two out of the three,” James said. “I did the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade my freshman year, and now I’m able to travel to California for the Rose Parade. It’s literally like a dream come true.”

The invitation offers a second historic milestone for many student performers.

“Hearing about performing for the Rose Parade was very exciting and shocking for me,” said Dante Smith, a sophomore computer science major and first-year drum major. “Since it’s my first year as drum major, I’m looking forward to showing what we’ve been working on in front of such a huge audience. I’m honored to have the opportunity to perform at this level.”

Justin Smith, a sophomore music major and drum major, said the band had recently been in consideration for the Honda Battle of the Bands — an annual showcase of HBCU band culture — but was not selected. Shortly afterward, they received a personal invitation to the Rose Parade.

“I felt super enthused when I found out we were going to the Rose Parade,” Smith said. “As some doors close, like the Honda Battle of the Bands, new and bigger doors open, like going to the Rose Parade.”

For Dr. Reid, this marks his second time taking an HBCU band to Pasadena.

“I had the privilege of taking another HBCU to the Rose Parade in 2011,” Reid said. “I can look back at all of those students who are now attorneys, doctors, service members and college professors. They still talk about how that trip made an impact on them.”

Reid said he looks forward to seeing how this opportunity shapes his current students.

“I look forward to the students experiencing what the university gets out of it,” he said. “The reward for me is seeing how the students respond. Even after they graduate, they come back for homecoming and they’re still talking about it, how it had an impact and connected them with the university long term.”