Enjoy Illinois Route 66 float makes Top 5 Moments of the 2024 Rose Parade

The Illinois Office of Tourism (Enjoy Illinois) entered a float in the historic Rose Parade for the second straight year in 2024. This year's float highlighted iconic roadside attractions along the 301+ miles of Route 66 in Illinois, including Wilmington's own Gemini Giant. The float also served as a performance stage for the popular a cappella group, Straight No Chaser, to sing a medley of hits from The Blues Brothers.

Fans online and in person couldn't stop talking about the float and the performance, ranking it #4 in the Pasadena Star-News article "Top 5 moments from the Rose Parade 2024 that had people talking."

Representatives from the Illinois Office of Tourism, Heritage Corridor Destinations, and Great Rivers & Routes accompanied the float to Pasadena and talked with attendees of the two-day Floatfest that saw over 65,000 people on January 1st and 2nd. At the Enjoy Illinois tents, guests could speak with Route 66 experts, pick up travel guides, and grab an Enjoy Illinois Rose Parade pin.

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