Float Fest tickets were offered for a small additional fee on top of parade tickets, so we decided to extend our stay and see the floats up close. The floats are parked near Pasadena High School, and a convenient shuttle let us park in a location right off the highway. So the day after the parade, we hit the road again to Pasadena to get another look at those beautiful floats. With our small amount of decorating experience, and our view of the parade the day before, you wouldn't have thought there was more to learn, but this experience was definitely worth the time and expense.
While prior days had been smoggy, the sky on this day was bright blue, and the weather was bright and sunny, about 75 degrees. By the time we had wandered awhile I was ready to shed some layers. Good thing I am in the habit of wearing a tank top under a flannel shirt. Works well for hot flashes as well as for LA weather in January!
With my newly appreciative eye, I started noticing things right off that I would not have appreciated before. For instance, see that rock wall? All covered in seeds. The purple flower? Different colors of statice in the outer petals, and chrysanthemums for the yellow center. Look at the hundreds of roses (each one in it's own vial of water), and the draping bouquets of orchids. You can see all this so much better up close then we could from a distance. And in my research I learned that this float is one of the six made by non-professionals, so that makes it even more impressive.
On the same float was this large dog. You might notice the majority of his coat is made out of pampas grass, but with a closer look, we noticed they had to coat the inside of his mouth with statice to make it red! And what natural material do you use to make dog's whiskers?
At his base he is surrounded by flowers, not just the roses but the large purple flowers and the bouquets to soften the connection between his feet and the other flowers. One more detail, the color green that they used to create the "Alhambra" sign is the exact color of street signs!
The photos below were from the UPS float. Here I was amazed by the details such as the braiding of materials. In the left photo, those green bands are actually braided leaves. In the middle photo, the rope that goes in and out of the roses is made of braided vines. I really appreciated the layers of foliage, even the Christmas tree branches on the very bottom. And the cut limes sprinkled through the red roses are a nice touch. My favorite part of this float, though, were the tree trunks. The main component? Dried apricots!
Next up was the Rotary Float. We approached it from the back, so the first thing we noticed were these carrots stuck in the ground, with a bite taken out of one of them! And the use of live pumpkins was smart, you don't have to worry about those going bad anytime soon!
At the top of this float was a manmade tree, with roses set into ferns atop the trunk covered in seeds. I'm guessing the dark brown color on the cliff is coffee, but I couldn't get up close to give it the sniff test. They got off easy by using sod on top of the cliff, but didn't skimp on the details of the barn on top, with seeds surrounding the windows and a silvery material used for the shingled roof. I think the best part of this float, though, was from the front. It's a carful of animals, and the cat in front is taking a selfie! I am no photographer but even I figured out that taking photos into the sun doesn't give you the best result.
Next up were the floats for the two football teams playing in the Rose Bowl. These two were in the same tent as the Cal Poly float we were decorating, and were already completely done by the time we arrived on the 29th. Looking closer, you can see why. They probably use the same floats over and over, and just change the name of the team and possibly the color of the roses to match. How simple is that? I'm not even sure they redo the seeds used on the stairs, those are probably the same from year to year. After seeing all the work that goes into the other floats, these were a bit of a disappointment.
This float was one of the first ones I saw, and I was so impressed by the turtle! His face is made up of mums and those are brussel sprouts in there! This was the first time I realized that it's not just color that the float designers are going for, it's texture. I had to take a close-up photo just to remember that detail. This is the City of Pasadena's float, which is another one of the six that are purely decorated by volunteers. To me, that makes this even more impressive. And where do you get mums that color? Inquiring minds want to know!
Next up was the float for the State of Mississippi. I never realized that people use floats in the Rose Parade to advertise, but that's clearly what was going on here. Kind of brilliant if you think about it. They catch your attention with the Elvis Statue, then all around the float they have signs for the main attractions. When this float was in the parade, they had a live singer aboard. I'm sure they'll get a visitor or two just because of this float.
This float really made an impression on me, which I suppose was the goal. It is One Legacy, which is an organization that saves and heals lives through organ, eye, and tissue donation. This is a cause that I believe in, and I hope that others I know have taken steps to donate their organs upon their death. My research helped me understand more about the overall design of this float, like what's up with those flying carp fish?
This float was definitely one that was worth attending Float Fest for. In speaking with a woman who helped build the float, we learned more about what went into it. She was one of the recipients of organ donation, and one of the ways she contributed to the float was by making the face of her donor, a young woman. These faces are called "floragraphs" or floral portraits. The faces are made from farina (Cream of Wheat) which has been roasted in different temperature ovens to achieve different skin tone colors, and each one takes 8 hours to complete. I commented about the roses on the bridge, and she shared that each one was donated in the name of someone who had donated organs. In the gallery below are more photos of the beautiful details of this float. The seats are for riders on the float, who were recipients of a donation. I read that living donors walk alongside the float. I can't imagine the emotion that goes into the building of this float!
Next up was the US Army Float. This one was a clear recruiting effort. Not only did they have a booth with information, they had a young woman who was Miss USA AND a US Army officer there and people were greeting her and taking photos. I looked her up afterward, her name is Alma Cooper. Not only is she pretty, but smart! She is attending Stanford pursuing a Master's degree in data science. Good for her!
The float itself was impressive as well. Not so much on the floral front, but on the message.
I don't know how much work it was to create the life-size monuments of each person, but they were very realistic. While the natural coverings weren't colorful, it suited the Army theme.
This next float was built by Sierra Madre, and is one of the six that is built by volunteers. I got to see it in action! Since this float is 20 feet tall, and all floats must pass under a freeway overpass that is 16'6", they have to be able to collapse. Here's a video of this one collapsing.
We saw this float again as we were nearing the end of the walkthrough. This float was "a vibrant celebration that kicks off with the festive allure of piñatas and is accompanied by the lively melodies of a mariachi band and the dynamic energy of traditional ballet folklorico dancers". I thought it was a cute detail that someone thought to include a fallen pinata, with the candy coated in natural materials!
That covers the first leg of the Float Fest. I might need to take a break before finishing this blog, whew!
Next up is another organization I had never heard of, "Coding for Veterans". I thought it was especially creative to include the QR code on the float. I tested it and it actually works!
Next is the float for Trader Joe's, which was the longest in the parade. The shot below shows the impression it made as we saw it come down the street. Tons going on in this float, with Trader Joe's products featured by creating them covered in natural materials.
The Rose Parade facebook page has this to say about it:
"The Trader Joe’s “Here We Go!” float takes viewers on a deliciously imaginative journey aboard the Potluck Express. This 85-foot extravaganza is a feast for the eyes, leading with a locomotive where the front boiler spins, kiwi-orange slice wheels turn and slaw and pickle pistons chug under the command of a lobster engineer and a cheerful frog. A pineapple submarine floats high above its gravy boat base.
Unit two features a charming mouse perched atop a cheese and charcuterie platter, powered by a see-sawing duo atop a triangle block of cheese handcar. A giant pink lemonade bottle bursts with excitement, adding a fizzy flair to the adventure.
The final unit invites spectators to a whimsical tea party. Spinning teacups and saucers, colorful macaroons, cupcakes and other Trader Joe’s treats create a sweet ending to this culinary voyage. This float is a joyful celebration of food, fun and imagination! Here we go!"
Here is a gallery of photos so you can see it close-up:
Onto the most exciting part of Float Fest, seeing the Cal Poly float close-up. Of course we had to check out the back where my ferns were used. If I do say so myself, I think those asparagus ferns added a lot to these arrangements. After touring Kara's garden recently, I saw her ferns which were ginormous! I guess I have some work to do over the coming year to get mine into better shape in case we help decorate again.
We spent a lot of time admiring the work done on this float, since the details were still being added the last time we saw it. If I do say so myself, I think this float has a lot of good quality parts to it. Too bad they didn't have the animation working, as we never got to see much of that. See the gallery below for some of my favorite shots:
Here's another cool note about this float. At the hotel as we were getting ready in the morning, I caught the Float Fest on the news. They were interviewing this family, and talking to this young blind girl about her impression of the floats up close (by feel and smell). I thought the interview itself was interesting, but better yet, look at the float behind her! It's Nessie's Lakeside Laughs! What good publicity for the Cal Poly Float.
The next float we saw was created for the City of Downey. It is also one of the six created by volunteers. I loved how they used flowers to represent a waterfall, probably a lot easier than actually installing a pump and real water. But they didn't skimp on animation, they had a working train with people on it coming out of that tunnel! One of my favorite details gleaned at Float Fest, underneath the railroad tracks what do you think the natural material was? Sunflower seeds!
The next float was so impressive it won our selfie shot! As we travel we always try to take at least one selfie, so you know this one was special. In researching it back at home, I learned this float was for the City of Hope. As I learned in my research, City of Hope is one of the largest and most advanced cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States. It's also a leading research center for diabetes and this was their 51st entry in the parade. Given both these diseases have made their way into our family, I now have much more appreciation for the work this organization does. And their float designer? Top notch!
A close-up of the feathers shows not only what they're made of, but include the inspirational words which are integral to the City of Hope's mission:
Hope, Compassion, Discovery, Trailblazing, and Inclusion.
Remember I talked about floats where I enjoyed the animation? We didn't see some of these in the parade because we dashed out early to (we thought) beat the traffic, but the data geek in me loved the animation on this Kaiser Permanente Float:
Another favorite on this section of the route was the "Explore Louisiana" Float. I guess we can't really complain that other states use the Rose Parade to advertise, since the Rose Parade is one big advertisement for California's beautiful weather and flowers, and I thought this one was impressive in it's use of materials. In fact, it won the Director Award for the Most Outstanding Artistic Design and Use of Floral and Non-Floral materials. Not sure I'd want to visit a state that has such a big crocodile as part of it's attractions, though! However, I was impressed by the crocodile leg's detail and those are peppers hanging from the umbrella! According to this article, participants on this float included an LSU Football player, a saloon owner, and a Cajun musician, among others. That' sure to give you a taste of this state.
Well, that wraps up my summary of Float Fest and the Rose Parade for 2025. On the way home we spent the night in SLO, where I had to make two purchases at the Cal Poly Store Downtown. One is an alumni shirt for myself, which I DID NOT OWN, but if I ever help decorate again I will need the proper attire. And another Cal Poly shirt for Austin in the next size up, because hope springs eternal that we will have another Cal Poly alum in the family someday.
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