Building a Float for 2025 Rose Parade

We are at the end of the year and crunch time is upon us. (See the 2025 entry here: 2025-Having A-Lava Fun!)

Burbank Tournament of Roses Association (BTORA) finished with the chicken wiring and bed-sheeting the float, over the Thanksgiving weekend, in time to get the float foamed on Monday. This week we are finishing up with important construction and foam carving ahead of the T2 inspection on Saturday at 7:00 am. T2 is the final inspection before the parade and the float must be parade ready.? The T2 inspection includes reviewing automation, any SFX, the float being closed up so they can do a heat test for the driving compartment, mechanical inspections, and the movability of the float overall. Anything that was flagged during the T1 inspection must be completed by T2.

With less than 30 days left in December, BTORA has much planned. There are items still to be screened and painted. We will have to open up our Flower Cage. The Flower Cage is where all our flowers will be stored and processed during Deco Week (December 26th – 31st). Getting ready involves moving enough buckets to hold about 30,000 flowers. The size of the bucket is determined by the types of flowers that we get for the float. Some roses take taller buckets while other flowers may take shorter sized buckets. We will also move items that are no longer needed in the float barn into the Flower Cage.

During the month of December, Tournament informs all the float builders where they will be positioned during the parade. This year BTORA will be the seventh float in the parade. They let us know what time our judging will be for First Judging on the 30th and the Second Judging on the 31st. We will get information regarding our placement at pre parade formation, at post parade formation, and media information.

BTORA’s 2025 float will feature different types of dinosaurs in various states of play. Where will each of the 12 Dinosaurs be placed in the float barn during Deco Week? I will meet with the Construction Chair and Deco Chair to discuss the site map of all the items that go on the float. The items will be placed based upon the closeness to the float and area needed to decorate the different Dinos.

I will check the front desk and make sure it has everything needed to operate during Deco Week. BTORA provides a colored tag/ badge for every volunteer that comes to the float site. The difference between them is whether the person is a minor under 14 and cannot get on the float (green tag) or an adult/ over 14 (yellow tag) or a Supervisor (pink tag) working on the float. We have a tag (red tag) for people just coming by to visit the float site. At the front desk, there is a sign-in book and new sign-in sheet for each day for Deco Week. We have color coded dots for each day and number them. The numbers are used to call out people to come to eat or to find yourself when you leave. We generally get around 150 – 300 volunteers in one day.

Deco Week is just that – where we decorate the float completely in time for the parade and judging. If we are not completely done by 2nd Judging, on December 31st, we will not be judged to win an award.

If you want to volunteer, we are currently open on Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturdays from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. This could change so check the website for updates. Burbank Tournament of Roses Association We accept volunteers that are aged 7 and up. Wear clothes you don’t mind getting dirty and paint on them. Closed-toed shoes are required at the float site. Be prepared to make new friends and make new memories.

Oh yeah -- Want to design a float? We have started our 2026 Design Contest. Information is found on the website.

?

Previous post about the float can be found here: https://www.dhirubhai.net/posts/t-g-78b60b5_buildingafloat-roseparade-cityofburbank-activity-7191489056659197952-i11y?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop