It’s time for Rose Parade 101! Today is December 19, 2021 and it is…13 days until New Years! Weather is holding as cool with the possibility of rain early in Parade week. HOWEVER, as of right now it looks dry for the big day.
Tonight our student built float from Cal Poly Universities will make its way across the Los Angeles basin from the Pomona campus to Pasadena. So I thought it would be fun to highlight where all of our floats come from that make up the floral pageantry of the parade.
In 2022 47 floats will roll down the parade route. Each float is completely covered in organic materials including roses, flowers (in every conceivable color and stage of life!), seeds, beans, ornamental grasses, fruits and vegetables.
Floats come in a variety of sizes, each one highlighting their organization, community, or company. Floats can be divided into several categories based on the sponsors: Commercial Floats, Anniversary Floats, Community & Service Floats, and Tournament of Roses Association Floats. Let’s take a quick look at these different categories.
- Commercial Floats are those sponsored by commercial companies. This year some of our corporate sponsored floats come from Honda Motor, Reeses, Wetzel’s Pretzels, and the San Diego Zoo.
- Anniversary Floats are those sponsored by an organization celebrating an anniversary. This year the State of Louisiana Board of Tourism sponsored a float.
- Community & Service Floats are just those – floats that are sponsored by community and service organizations. Some of these floats include the City of South Pasadena, Lutheran Layman’s League, Shriners, and Cal Poly Universities.
- Closing out our sponsors are the Tournament Association Floats. These are the 2 floats for the participating universities.
Where are these floats designed and built? The Tournament of Roses contracts with 3 commercial builders. These companies – Phoenix Decorating, Fiesta Parade Floats, and Artistic Entertainment Services, create the majority of the floats in the parade. However, there are 6 floats built in local communities. These 6 “self-built” floats rely on local fundraising to finance the floats. They are a source of civic pride in all the communities. Our 6 self-built floats are:
- City of Sierra Madre
- City of Burbank
- City of Downey
- City of La Canada-Flintridge
- City of South Pasadena
- Cal Poly Universities
The Cal Poly float is particularly unique as it is organized by 2 student organizations – one at the San Luis Obispo Campus and the other club at the Pomona campus. The students do all the work from float design, construction, and decoration. Each campus builds half of the structure of the float. Then in October each year, the San Luis Obispo team drives their part of the float over 250 miles down the California coast to Pomona where the 2 parts are mated. Over 150 students participate in the clubs. Together, the Cal Poly Float truly shows off the university’s “Learn By Doing” academic program.
The float building process is really unique and interesting. The beautiful designs are what makes the Rose Parade a truly unique experience.