2026 Rose Parade®, Pasadena, CA
December 28, 2025 – January 2, 2026
Congratulations on becoming a part of The Saluting America’s Band Directors project and
The Band Directors Marching Band!
Register with Grueninger Music Tours for your trip to the 2026 Rose Parade and join your fellow band directors for this unforgettable experience!
Trip Itinerary
Important note: All times are Pacific Standard Time (PST). This itinerary is tentative and subject to change at any time. Please check back to this page for up-to-date information.
DAY 1: Sunday, December 28, 2025
- Welcome to Los Angeles
- Airport shuttles included from LAX to hotel (from 10:00am to 3:00pm)
- Private group check-in at the hotel. All band members must arrive at the hotel by 4:00 p.m.
- Dinner on own
- Rehearsal in the hotel this evening (band members only)
DAY 2: Monday, December 29, 2025
- Breakfast in hotel (included)
- Morning rehearsal (band members only)
- Box lunch at rehearsal (included for band members)
- Lunch on own (Family & Friends)
- Visit Santa Monica Beach & Pier and 3rd Street Promenade
- Dinner on own
- Return to hotel
DAY 3: Tuesday, December 30, 2025
- Breakfast in hotel (included)
- Morning rehearsal (band members only)
- In-N-Out Burger lunch provided by the Tournament of Roses (band members only)
- Photo of the band at the Rose Bowl Stadium (not included in package; available for purchase)
- Box lunch (included for Family & Friends)
- Continue to Pasadena City College for Bandfest,* Family & Friends ticket to Bandfest included
- Drive the parade route
- Return to the hotel
- Private Gala Dinner at the hotel for all travelers (included)
DAY 4: Wednesday, December 31, 2025
- Breakfast in hotel (included)
- Morning rehearsal (band members only)
- Free morning (Family & Friends)
- Box lunch (included for band members)
- Performance at Float Judging (band members only)
- Lunch on own (Family & Friends)
- Hollywood & Beverly Hills guided tour
- Return to hotel
- Dinner on your own
- Early to bed!
DAY 5: Thursday, January 1. 2026
- Boxed breakfast from the hotel (included)
- March in the 137th Rose Parade or watch from grandstand seats
- In-N-Out Burger lunch provided by the Tournament of Roses (band members only)
- Lunch on own (Family & Friends)
- Performance opportunity at the Rose Bowl (not confirmed)
- Box dinner (included)
- Return to hotel and relax
DAY 6: Friday, January 2, 2026
- Continental breakfast in hotel based on flight schedule (included)
- Hotel check-out
- Transfer shuttles included to LAX (running between 5:00am and 12:00pm)
- Float Fest Performance (for those band members able to attend) from 9:00-11:00am and/or 1:00-3:00pm
- Depart Los Angeles and arrive home with great memories from California
*Itinerary subject to change and availability. Dates and timing of some events determined by the Tournament of Roses.
Inclusions
- Five (5) nights accommodations at a full service Los Angeles area hotel
- Transfers via shuttle (motorcoaches) to/from hotel to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) during specified times
- Ground transportation via motorcoach from hotel to included events per itinerary
- Daily breakfast in the hotel
- Box lunches at band rehearsals on December 29 and 31
- Private Gala Dinner event in hotel on December 30th
- Bandfest and post-parade lunches (In-N-Out Burger lunch provided by Rose Parade)
- Box dinner on January 1
- Hollywood & Beverly Hills sightseeing tour (gratuity included)
- Float Judging performance
- Participation in the 137th Rose Parade
- Performance opportunity at the Rose Bowl – not confirmed
- Float Fest performance (for those able to attend on January 2)
- Music arrangement and direction for the parade and Bandfest field show
- Commemorative Parade Blazer, Gray Slacks and Tie (to be worn with your black socks and all black shoes)
- Official Rose Parade program
- SABD Group Travel App
- A portion of the marchers’ trip fee goes toward the construction and operation of the float
- Experienced GMT Travel Directors
- Motorcoach driver gratuity
The Family & Friends Member package will include:
- Five (5) nights accommodations at a full service Los Angeles area hotel (same hotel as band members)
- Transfers via shuttle (motorcoaches) to/from hotel to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) during specified times
- Ground transportation via motorcoach from hotel to included events per itinerary
- Daily breakfast in the hotel
- Lunch at Bandfest
- Private Gala Dinner event in hotel on December 30th
- Hollywood & Beverly Hills sightseeing tour (gratuity included)
- View parade floats
- Ticket to Tournament of Roses Bandfest
- Reserved grandstand seat for the 137th Rose Parade including round-trip hotel/parade transportation
- Official Rose Parade program
- Experienced GMT Travel Directors
- Motorcoach driver gratuity
Price
| Number of occupants in room: | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Five (5) night BAND MEMBER | $2,899 | $2,999 | $3,549 | $4,429 |
| Five (5) night FAMILY & FRIENDS MEMBERS | $2,259 | $2,359 | $2,899 | $3,799 |
| CHILDREN (ages 3-9) | $1,199 | $1,199 | $1,199 |
Package pricing details
The term “occupant” is defined as a Band Member or a Family & Friend Member age 10 and older (not including children age 3-9). Count the number of people staying in your room that are buying Band Member or a Family & Friend Member packages (any combination of marchers and guests). That total is the number of room occupants and determines the type of rooming package to select. Children age 3-9 are not included in the total number of room occupants.
If you plan to room with other travelers and one of them cancels, you will then be responsible to pay the per person price based on how many people actually travel and occupy your room.
Our Rose Parade entry is technically considered a “float with accompanying marchers” by the Tournament of Roses. This was so designated as they did not want our one-time marching band of band directors to occupy a slot annually designated for traditional marching bands. Because of this, our package prices are set to include the amounts required to fund the construction and operation of a colorful, animated float
Important notes:
- If you pay by credit or debit card, a 3% fee will be added, as that is what the banks charge our tour company. ACH and eCheck payments along with personal checks mailed to GMT will not incur a fee.
- Package prices do not include transportation costs to or from California.
Important Notes – Please read BEFORE you Register:
- The trip code to use for the 2025/2026 trip is ROSE2026SABD.
- If you traveled with The Band Directors Marching Band on previous trips, please read instruction 1 below in order to register for the 2026 trip.
- You must register with the same email address that you have been using to receive emails from the Saluting America’s Band Directors (SABD) project.
- Each band member must create and register with their own account even if you are sharing a room with another band member(s). Family & Friends companions staying in the same room as a band member can be registered and paid under the band member’s account.
- Family & Friends staying in their own room (i.e., not sharing a room with a band member) should register separately using their own email address, one registration per additional room. Please do not include them on a band member’s account.
1. Create your GMT trip account for the 2026 trip
First-time users: If this is your first time using the GMT registration system, create a new account. Click on the red Register/Login button on the How to Register and Pay website page. This should put you on the page to create a new account. Enter your SABD Marcher email address and password; you will be sent an email with a link to confirm your email address. Once you have confirmed your email address, you will be able to register for the 2026 trip by clicking on Register for another trip. Go to Step 2 in these instructions.
Users with an existing trip account: If you already have a GMT registration account, click on the red Register/Login button on the How to Register and Pay website page. This should put you on the page to create a new registration. Click on the button to Log in. Enter your login and password. If you forgot your password, you can click on Forgot Password on the login screen and you will be sent an email to reset it. Once logged in, if you registered for a prior trip, you will be sent into that screen. If on a laptop or desktop: click on Other Trips in the menu at the top right of the display. If on a cell phone or iPad: click on the menu bars at the top left of the display (three horizontal bars), and then click on Other Trips. Finally, click on Register for another trip. Go to Step 2 in these instructions.
Not sure if you have an account or not? If you aren’t sure if you have an account or not, try logging in with your email address; if you don’t have an account, you will get an authentication failure screen because the system doesn’t know that email address. On the other hand, if you try to register with an email that is already associated with a GMT account, you will be told that the email address is already taken.
Once you access your account, you will be able to login to the account as often as you like, make package selections, make payments, come back later to make changes or more payments, etc.
2. Register for the new trip – Enter the code ROSE2026SABD for the Saluting America’s Band Directors 2026 Rose Parade trip.
3. Add passenger names registering with you –The system will next ask you “Who’s Going On This Trip?” and prompt you to enter “passenger” names for the trip (including the band member’s name). If you registered for a prior trip, your name will already be listed and you can simply click it to add yourself onto the 2026 trip. Please do not enter the names of Family & Friends travelers unless they are sharing your room. Family & Friends travelers in their own room will need to register separately. Once you have added all of the room occupants registering on your trip account, you can click on Proceed. If you aren’t sure of all the names yet, you can add them later.
4. Provide missing information for all passengers (required before you can make any payments) – The system will next bring up a screen with the names of all passengers that you entered. You will then need to provide the missing information for each passenger by clicking on the red Add Missing Info button. The system will allow you to make initial choices for required information, and then come back later to edit and make changes by clicking on the small pencil icon.
Important: You must provide Missing Info for each person registered with you before your payment timeline will appear and you can pay for anyone.
The system will first prompt you to enter the passenger’s personal information such as address, cellphone, and birthdate. Please note that birthdates are needed for electronically signing some documents. International cell phone numbers can be entered by typing “+” followed by the country code and number. If you added yourself from a prior trip, your personal information is already filled in for you and you won’t be prompted to add that; however, you can edit this later if needed. Click on Save when done editing.
5. Choose a package – The system will next prompt you to “Choose a Package” for the passenger based on the number of room occupants. Decide on single, double, triple, or quad occupancy and choose a package. Count up the number of people staying in your room that are buying band member or Family & Friend packages (any combination of band members and family and friends travelers not including children age 3-9). That total is the number of room occupants determines the type of rooming package to select. NOTE that children ten and older should purchase Family & Friend packages. Packages for children age 3-9 may also be selected at a fixed price of $1,199 per child. Click on Save when done.
Please make sure that the band member and all family & friend travelers select the same type of room occupancy (double, triple, or quad). It is assumed that all family & friends and children registered on a band member’s trip account will share the same room.
If you have family & friend guests that want a room by themselves (i.e. not sharing it with the band member), please have them register separately using their own email address, one registration per additional room. Please do not include them on your registration account.
6. Select AddOns you wish to purchase – The system will next prompt you to select any available “AddOns” you wish to purchase. There are options available for hotel stays before or after the trip and extra parade tickets. Only one person in a room needs to choose the AddOn for pre or post hotel nights. Click Save when done.
7. Fill out the trip questionnaire – The system will next prompt you to fill out a “Trip Questionnaire”. If you will be sharing a room with other band members enter their name(s) into the provided type-in field so that we know to put you in the same room. E.g., “rooming with band member Sue Jones”. In addition, if you want to have a room near other band members or family & friends, or relatives, type their names in this field, e.g. “room close to friend John Smith” or “close to band member Jerry Blake.” We will do our best to accommodate these requests but we cannot guarantee specific room locations. Note that you do not need to enter into this field the names of band members or children sharing your room if we already have their names from your registration. If this field is not applicable to you, just type “N/A”. Click on Proceed when done.
8. Select travel protection insurance – The system will next prompt you to select travel protection insurance for your trip. SABD and GMT strongly encourage you to consider purchasing this for your trip, especially the Enhanced Protection option that includes Cancel for any Reason (CFAR) coverage. Please note that the Enhanced Protection/CFAR will cover you for 75% of your non-refundable payments even if you decide to cancel your trip (certain restrictions may apply).
IMPORTANT: If you selected a travel protection insurance option, you should pay your premium amount at the time of registration. The Suggested Amount on the Make a Payment screen will be the $300 first deposit payment plus the travel protection premium.
If you select the Enhanced Protection/CFAR extended coverage option: For all band members, your 14-day window to pay your travel protection premium starts when you make your first deposit payment to GMT.
9. Enter medical information – The system will next prompt you to optionally enter any medical information you would like us to be aware of, e.g. allergies, dietary restrictions medical/mobility needs and medical contacts. If a person in your party has food allergies or gluten sensitivity, please make sure to tell us this information so GMT can work alternative options with our vendor partners for the included meals. Click Save when done.
10. Digitally sign documents – The system will next prompt the passenger to read and digitally sign three documents. Please read the documents, enter the required information and click Agree for each one.
- Deposit and Cancellation Policies
- General Participation Agreement
- Release of Liability Hold Harmless Agreement
11. Provide emergency contacts – Before proceeding further, it would be a good idea to provide emergency contact(s) for your trip. Click Save when done.
12. Make your first payment – Once you provide all required information for each passenger, the system will automatically direct you to the Setup Payment Methods page. This is where you will set up one or more ways to pay for your trip (Payment Sources). You can pay either by credit card(s), direct bank transfer(s), or personal check. If paying by credit card, a 3% non-refundable bank convenience fee will be added to your bill. If paying by direct bank transfer, no fees will be added. You can set up a bank transfer in two ways: a quick way if the system knows about your bank already, and a manual way in which you set up a verification procedure using your bank routing and account numbers.
You can select from three amounts to pay:
- the Suggested Amount (the total amount due now for all trip registrants), or
- any Overdue Amount only, or
- a Custom Amount.
If paying by personal check (rather than a direct bank transfer from your account), please make out the check and mail to:
Grueninger Music Tours
9011 N. Meridian Street, Suite 100
Indianapolis, IN 46260
Please put the name of the traveler and ROSE2026SABD in the memo portion of the check. Once Grueninger Music Tours receives your check, your account will be credited.
HINT: if you are on either the Setup Payment Methods page or the Make a Payment page and you want to back out to review your account, simply click on the Jump Back to Trip link at the top of the page.
13. Payment timeline– Once you provide all required missing information for each passenger, payment information will be displayed in your account Dashboard page. If you click on the View Payment Timeline button, you will see your payment timeline with amounts due and dates for each person registered on your trip account. If you click on the small “<" by each amount, it will break down the fees per occupant. If you think the amount you owe looks incorrect or have questions before paying, please contact Grueninger Music Tours to discuss (see below).
For questions about registration, please call or email Grueninger Music Tours at:
Grueninger Music Tours
(317) 581-1122
[email protected]
Terms, Deposit & Cancellation
Terms and Conditions
IMPORTANT: GMT and SABD strongly encourage you to consider purchasing travel insurance to protect yourself and your investment. In particular, travel insurance with Cancel for any Reason (“CFAR”) coverage may allow you to cancel up to 48 hours before the trip for any reason whatsoever and may provide a refund of up to 75% of your non-refundable expenditures.
You are free to choose any travel insurance carrier you want.
GMT is offering travel protection insurance from TripMate when you register for your trip. PLEASE NOTE: The Enhanced Plan (CFAR) must be purchased with 14 days of the date of your initial deposit. Your initial deposit date is the date you make your first payment to GMT through the registration site. For more plan information, click here.
While GMT and SABD encourage the purchase of travel insurance, any specific questions regarding coverage need to be addressed directly with the insurance company as we are not insurance experts.
NOTE: New York state residents cannot be sold a travel insurance plan that includes CFAR coverage. Non-US residents cannot be sold either insurance plan.
Trip Payment Schedule
- Pay $300 by March 28, 2025
- Pay $300 by April 28, 2025
- Pay $300 on May 28 2025
- Pay $300 on June 28, 2025
- Pay $500 on July 28, 2025
- Pay $500 on August 28, 2025
- Pay $500 on September 28, 2025
- Make your final payment by October 28, 2025
Please understand that the above payments go towards the cost of the rooming package selected, and are NOT additional costs such as AddOns and trip protection.
Please be aware that SABD and GMT have payment requirements to our float maker, hotel and transportation company. Therefore it is very important we receive your payments on time.
Individual Traveler Cancellation Schedule
- In the event a traveler cancels his or her participation from the date of first deposit through 181 days prior to departure, a $300 per person plus any non-refundable/non-recoverable supplier or incurred cots cancellation fee will be applied.
- In the event a traveler cancels his or her participation from from 180 days to 121 days prior to departure, a $500 per person plus any non-refundable/non-recoverable supplier or incurred cots cancellation fee will be applied.
- In the event a traveler cancels his or her participation from from 120 days to 91 days prior to departure, a $900 per person plus any non-refundable/non-recoverable supplier or incurred cots cancellation fee will be applied.
- In the event a traveler cancels his or her participation from from 90 days to 61 days prior to departure, a $1800 per person plus any non-refundable/non-recoverable supplier or incurred cots cancellation fee will be applied.
- In the event a traveler cancels his or her participation from from 60 days to 47 days prior to departure, a $2600 per person plus any non-refundable/non-recoverable supplier or incurred cots cancellation fee will be applied.
- There is no refund for cancellation received 46 days to departure.
- Please note, convenience fees charged when using a credit or debit card or ACH or eCheck as a form of payment will not be refunded.
- Any cancellations made within 90 days of the original payment will be refunded (if applicable) to that same form of payment. Cancellations made after 90 days may be refunded (if applicable) by check no matter what form of payment was used originally.
- Travel Protection is available and highly recommended to protect your investment. Details can be found on the registration pages.
Other:
- Any individual registrations or additions within 45 days prior to departure will be assessed a $50 late charge and will be based on availability in addition to prevailing rates from vendors.
- Late payments/deposits and required forms are charged a daily service fee of $15.00 per occurrence, per late day. For a maximum late charge of $210.00.
- Any expedited services such as FedEx charges, wire transfer fees assessed by banks and vendors, expedited printing and shipping charges will be passed along to the individual.
- NOTICE OF TRANSPORTATION FUEL SURCHARGE: ALL FUEL SURCHARGES IMPOSED BY AIRLINES AND/OR MOTORCOACH COMPANIES IN EXCESS OF THE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PRICES CONTRACTED FOR THE SABD ARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE INDIVIDUAL TRAVELER. Grueninger Music Tours normally receives notice of fuel surcharge increases between 60 and 30 days prior to the start of a tour and we will notify the individual immediately when/if these charges are imposed.
Frequently Asked Questions
I have traveled with SABD and GMT on other trips but when I logged into my account, I only see my previous trips. How do I find the new trip to register?
Since you had signed up a prior trip with SABD, the system puts you into your most recent trip automatically. Just look to the left of your screen, click on Other Trips, and you will then see a link to Register for Another Trip. Click on that and it should let you register for the new 2026 trip using trip code ROSE2026SABD. There are complete instructions on the How to Register and Pay page.
I am rooming with my spouse and our son. I have supplied all of my missing information, but I don’t see how much I owe nor any way to pay my travel protection insurance premium. What should I do?
The system requires you to enter the missing information for everyone registered under your email address before it will show your payment timeline or the Pay button. Click on the Add Missing Info buttons to enter the needed information. Also, if you still need to provide emergency contacts, that will also prevent the Pay button from appearing. After setting up a credit card or bank account, you can then select the Custom Amount option to enter your insurance premium amount and pay it.
I am trying to decide what rooming package to choose. I would be willing to share a room, but I don’t know anyone else going on the trip. Is there a way to find a roommate?
Yes there is. Please use SABD GroupMe to communicate with other band members traveling to Los Angeles. Per the SABD bulletin sent in late February, you will need to download the GroupMe app if you don’t already have it on your device. Once you have the app, just click on this LINK to join the group and begin communicating with others.
I was planning on sharing my room with another band member so I purchased a Five Night Band Member – 2 Occupant package. My roommate just told me that he/she has to cancel. Because the cancellation is not my decision, can I still pay the 2 Occupant package rate?
Unfortunately, your package will change because now you are the only traveler in the room. That means GMT will need to change your package to a Five Night Band member – 1 Occupant package and you will need to pay the additional cost of that package. You can look for another roommate using the SABD GroupMe app so you will have 2 travelers in your room again, keeping your package price the same.
Can I make additional payments or do I have to pay only on the payment dates?
Yes, you can make additional payments. The registration software allows you to make payments of any amount and frequency, and using any payment method. You might make some payments via credit card and others via bank transfer to save the credit card fee. When you get to the Make a Payment page, select Pay Custom Amount and enter the amount of your payment.
Will I be able to purchase additional Rose Parade tickets?
Yes. One parade ticket is automatically included in the tour package for each Family & Friends traveler and child package. In addition, GMT will be making extra tickets available for friends or relatives of band members and Family & Friends travelers who would like to sit with our group in our block of seats (but who are not purchasing the GMT tour package). Those additional tickets can be purchased during when you register for the trip. The tickets will be provided to the traveler who purchased them upon arrival in Los Angeles.
I would like to bring my children with me; is this possible?
Yes, add-on packages for children age 3-9 will be available for purchase. Children will be able to attend all events including breakfasts, banquet, Bandfest, and the parade at a reduced price. Children will be given seats on the bus and parade tickets. However, it is mandatory that there be another adult Family & Friends traveler accompanying the band member who will be in charge of the children at all events. There will be times, such as BandFest, rehearsals, and the parade itself, when the band member will be otherwise occupied. We do discourage bringing children younger than three based on the itinerary. (Please note that children ten and older will need to purchase a Family & Friends package.)
I am a band member sharing a room with a friend or family (e.g. son, cousin) who is also a band member. Can I register both of us together and pay for us both on one transaction?
No, each band member must register separately with their own email address and pay separately even if sharing a room. The reason is that we must store information about each band member separately based on their own unique email address. There is a type-in field on the Questionnaire for you to enter the marching companion name(s) so that we know to put you in the same room. Note that the same applies to any number of band members staying together in the same room – you must each register separately and tell us with whom you are rooming.
I am a band member sharing a room with a friend or family member who is not in the band. Can I register both of us together and pay for us both on one transaction?
Yes, a band member and one or more non-marching companions can register on the band member’s account and pay for everyone on a single transaction using the same payment method. The companion would choose a Family & Friends package during the registration process.
