Forum Celebrates 50th Anniversary

Jerod Harris / Getty Images – Earth, Wind & Fire Perform on the Forum Float
Earth, Wind & Fire Perform on the on the

The “Fabulous” Forum celebrated its 50th anniversary Jan. 1 with its first float entry into the Rose Parade, featuring a surprise performance by Earth, Wind & Fire.

“Happy New Year to my beautiful family, friends and fans,” the band’s bassist, Verdine White, said on twitter. “EWF is honored to be performing on the Forum Float at this year’s 129th annual Rose Parade.”

Sponsored by Live Nation, the float showcased a miniature version of the iconic Inglewood arena made up of white mums, fine ground rice and carnations. The entire float used more than 193,000 flowers, including yellow and orange roses, white iris and Cattleya orchids.  

The venue first opened its doors in 1967 and hosted its first concert – a performance by Aretha Franklin – Jan. 22, 1968. Since then, the 17,500-capacity venue has hosted shows from artists ranging from Elvis Presley to Kanye West. After it was purchased by Madison Square Garden, the venue reopened in 2014 following a $50 million renovation.

The Forum was nominated for Pollstar’s 2017 Arena of the Year award.