‘Flower Power’ Blossoms Almost Magically As Rose Parade Draws Closer

Just a few days before Monday’s  134th Rose Parade, thousands of volunteers have begun decorating the nearly 50 or so floats that will take the 5.8 mile trip from “TV Corner” at Colorado and Orange Grove Boulevards east to Sierra Madre Boulevard.

At the three main decorating centers—Phoenix Decorating, Fiesta Floats, and the Rosemont Pavilion at Brookside Park—thousands of volunteers will work until Sunday, cutting, arranging and gluing the more than 18 million flowers necessary to decorate the beguiling and spectacular float creations.

Irene Mendoza of nearby Duarte peered into the hangar-like headquarters of Phoenix Decorating Company in Irwindale Thursday, after dropping off her two nieces, who will spend the brunt of the next three days working on assigned floats. 

“They’ll be working hard, but they’re so excited,” said Mendoza, “They haven’t been able to talk about anything else for weeks.”

The Tournament of Roses is also providing 3,000 volunteers of its own to work on various floats, a reduction from previous years. The 2023 parade will be the first since 2020 without COVID-19 restrictions, but various factors have reduced the overall number of volunteers, said one committee member.  

Meanwhile, a number of the major float participants have been around for decades.

The Lions Club, for example, first joined the parade in 1946, and has since participated consecutively since 1992.

“The New Year is a time to celebrate, but it’s also a time to reflect. As we think about our New Year’s resolutions, I encourage everyone to do something good for humankind,” said Brian Sheehan, Lions International President, who also emphasized the theme of the 2023 parade, “Turning the Corner”

“Small things like picking up litter on the street or donating to a food bank make a big impact,” he said Thursday, standing next to the purple-hued Lions Club float. 

“Better yet, reach out to your local Lions club if you want to join a team that’s making a difference every day and in so many ways. When caring people come together, roll up their sleeves and help their communities “turn the corner” for the better, we can overcome any challenge we face.”

The 35-foot Lions International “Bridging the World Through Service” float will honor the Lions and Leos who are serving a world in need by undertaking projects to help take on some of today’s most pressing global challenges, including hunger and protecting our environment.

The front of the float features Lions tending a garden with food that will help societies find sustainable solutions to the global hunger crisis. At the back of the float, Lions and Leos are planting trees and picking up litter to help protect the environment and create healthier communities, according to a statement from a Lions Club Representative.

The nearly 50 floats at both Phoenix and Fiesta have an extra day available to be decorated before making the 11-mile journey Sunday evening from Irwindale to the parade start along Orange Grove Boulevard. 

More information on the 2023 Tournament of Roses Parade is available here.