How do the floats in the parade move?

The floats in the Tournament of Roses Parade are covered in flowers.The requirement that "every inch of every float must be covered with flowers or other natural materials, such as leaves, seeds or bark" evolved from flower-decorated horse carriages.The floats are judged by three civic and floral industry leaders.

Some communities and organizations are referred to as "self-built floats" as they design them.

Every year on New Year's Day, the Rose Parade takes place in Pasadena, California.The idea of the Tournament of Roses was introduced to the Valley Hunt Club by Charles Frederick Holder, a teacher of zoology.Wealthy Pasadena residents migrated from the Eastern and Midwestern states to become members of the Valley Hunt Club.They became enamored with the flowers that bloom during winter after moving to California.While the elite community began the Rose Parade as a celebration for the winter flowers, some involved in the real estate business used the parade to attract land buyers in Pasadena.[5]

The number of people who attended the event was a challenge for the Rose Parade.In 1893, members of the club came up with the idea of "Never on a Sunday."The Tournament of Roses Parade became one of the biggest events in the city after The Valley Hunt Club was unable to handle it on their own.The annual parade was taken over by the Tournament of Roses Association.[4]

Ten years after the first Rose Parade, the tournament became a larger festival that gained popularity in many other cities.Communication and travel were made easier by new technologies.The first newspaper coverage of the Rose Parade was on the East Coast in 1898.The Tournament of Roses Association allowed motor vehicles to be used as floats if they were in the back of the parade and not disturbing the horses.The tournament became more popular as technology evolved.W6XAO Los Angeles broadcasted the Tournament of Roses Parade in 1939.The parade was shown on US television.[4]

The community began to evolve just like technology.Edith Wright was the first woman to pilot a float.White males have been members of the Tournament of Roses Association for almost a century.The tournament officials invited minorities and women into the committee.New members of the association were not able to serve the same number of years because they did not have full voting rights.City Hall wanted to be an example of change.They wanted a more diverse community.The decision was supported by advocates, volunteers and community leaders.[5]

The Tournament of Roses Association chooses people who will represent their community.Corporations and voluntary associations accept many floral structures each year.The early parades had floats that were carried by horses and carriages.[5]

Unique and original designs began to be incorporated by contestants over time.Today's floats are bigger and more elaborate.The tradition of decorating floats only with flowers has been retained, but the use of new technology such as computerized animation and robots has also been incorporated into design.Steel, plastic, wire mesh and plasticized spray coverings are allowed in floats.The structure of the float must be completely covered in flowers, petals, and other vegetable materials such as seeds, leaves and stems.

Once the parade is over, the design and construction of floats begins.It gives jobs to many people and demands a lot of flowers.Students, volunteers, and members of organizations do most of the work.An average of 80,000 hours of labor is put into the process of floats each year.The economic impact of the roses events was reported by the Tournament of Roses Association.[4]

There are three different types of entries in the Rose Parade.There are two divisions of floats, large commercial and non-commercial, which include big companies such as American Honda Motor Company and Kaiser Permanente.Large commercial floats attract more attention due to the amount of time and money invested.Donations and voluntary labor are often used to build small, non-commercial floats.There are approximately 50 floats that participate annually.

The annual festival has had a big impact on the community.Politics, religion, sex are not themes that are chosen lightly.Most theme names are easy to understand.Designers can use themes to express important messages within their floats.The people involved in the design, construction and decoration process of the floats are rewarded by the collaboration between the volunteers.

The floats are stripped after the parade.Structural steel elements are recycled where possible.

When the next year's parade theme is announced, the parade sponsors and participating communities start to plan their floats for the following year.Builders pick their float theme at a "theme draft" meeting in February.There are not many similar floats according to the Tournament.

A framework of steel and chicken wire is used to hold the characters and other objects on the float together.The mesh cover is supported by beams and steel rod.In the next process, the float is sprayed with a material which acts as a base for decoration.The base is painted with flowers that will be applied to the float.

The exposed surface of a float entered in the parade must be covered with flowers or other natural materials.Bark, seed and leaves are other decorative applicants.The first thing to do is decorate with non-perishable materials.The live additions to the float are applied in the days following Christmas.The flowers are placed one by one in the water.The largest consumer of flowers in the world is the Tournament of Roses.

Many floats, along with their drive train, include computer-controlled robotic mechanisms.float drivers can only see the ground below.An observer talks to a driver.Observers are hidden within the float.Each float has a Tournament Member assigned to it who shepherds it from the float barn to the formation area and down the parade route.Some walk on motor scooters.The float's observer is communicated with by hand signals.The floats are directed by other Tournament Members at the two corners.

60 volunteers work 10 hours a day for 10 days to decorate a float.[6]

One can see many of the floats being decorated with flowery mantles in the various "float barns" that dot the Pasadena area and communities to the east.

Admission is charged for viewing the floats.The Rose Float Plaza South is located in the City of Irwindale, California.

Many distinct changes have taken place with the Festival's floats, including computer-aided movement and professional float building, but the floats have kept true to their title and heritage by using real, fresh flowers.The cost of flowers is paid for by the sponsor of the float.

The Kidspace Children's Museum in the Arroyo Seco Natural Park is where some of the flowers used on the floats were grown.[8]

The Miracle-Gro showcase is where the floats are displayed after the parade for close-up viewing.Three hours after the parade, the floats are parked along Sierra Madre and Washington Boulevards in Pasadena, near Pasadena High School and Victory Park.When January 3 falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the first two early morning hours are reserved for seniors and the disabled, while the rest of the day is open to the general public.