Building the Floats
While the most obvious element in Tournament of Roses float construction is the flowers - it's beneath the veneer of beautiful blossoms that one finds the full answer to the often asked question "What's it take to make a float?"
Creating the giant floral masterpieces that have become the hallmark of the Rose Parade requires a great deal more than meets the eye. Phoenix Decorating Co. is building 19 floats for the upcoming parade - and the following is just a partial list of materials Phoenix alone is using on its spectacular entries.
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| Design | Sculpture | Art Direction | Floral Direction | Decoration |
Steel - 300 tons. Used to create the chassis, basic structure and sculpted figures on each float.
Plywood - 70,000 square feet. Used to form some elements of the base upon which flowers and dry elements are pasted.
Chicken Wire - 225,000 square feet. Used to form large areas for floral decoration.
Aluminum Screen - 350,000 square feet. Utilized to cover detailed areas of sculpted figures and serve as the base for pasted flowers and dry decoration.
Plastic Foam - 14 tons. Used as a base to hold water-filled plastic vials into which fragile flowers such as individual roses and orchids are inserted. (More than 700,000 vials will be used on Phoenix floats each year.)
Glue - 8,000 gallons; includes "flora glue" for whole fresh flowers, leaves and grass; "sticky glue" for flower petals; "white glue" for seeds, grains and other dry materials; "spray adhesive" for detail areas featuring spices and powdered materials.
Dry Materials - 16 tons. Creates both broad areas of color and fine detailing of sculpted figures.
Flowers - 20 million, including 400,000 roses and 550,000 carnations.
Sound Systems - Stadium concert-quality speakers provide up to 30,000 watts of sound on many of the Phoenix floats.
Volunteers - 16,000 individuals, from teens to seniors.
And... - What makes the floats float? Generally it’s not air. Due to the weight of many floats (up to 50,000 pounds) the tires are foam or gel filled to ensure against flats or blowouts.
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