Artistic Entertainment Services has opened volunteer registration for the 2027 Rose Parade float decorating through a new sign-up portal the company says it built specifically for the volunteer experience.
The registration launch, announced July 13 in a company press release, comes nearly six months before the 138th Rose Parade rolls down Colorado Boulevard on Jan. 1, 2027.
Through the portal, the company says volunteers 12 and older can reserve decorating shifts at its Rosemont Pavilion studio in Pasadena, either individually or in groups.
The portal consolidates registration, information and communications in one place, lets volunteers create and manage individual accounts, and replaces paper waivers with digital ones.
AES says it also expands group registration — with tiers for small groups of two to nine people and large groups of 10 or more — and streamlines check-in for the decorating season. The company says families, Scout troops, schools, churches and corporate teams can register together.
The company’s website (AESVolunteers.com) displays open shifts in real time, lets volunteers reserve a spot instantly, and includes email reminders and text alerts along with a personal dashboard that tracks shifts and total hours.
“We didn’t want to adapt an existing platform; we wanted to build something specifically for the Rose Parade volunteer experience,” said Craig Bugajski, president and CEO of AES. “Every decision was made with the volunteer in mind, because we know they’re an essential part of bringing these incredible floats to life.”
Decorating shifts run a minimum of four hours, AES says, and begin in November, continuing through the end of December.
No prior experience is required. Volunteers apply fresh flowers, seeds, bark, fruits, vegetables and grasses, the outlet reported, along with leaves, petals, beans, mosses, spices and dried botanicals, according to AES.
Katie McCormick, programs director and assistant floral director at AES, said the company depends on that labor.
“Every year, thousands of volunteers contribute more than 100,000 volunteer hours helping decorate the floats,” she said in written interview responses. “That level of support simply cannot be replaced.”
McCormick, who said she first came to Pasadena as a volunteer nearly 20 years ago, said the portal was designed for decorators coming from near and far.
“Whether someone lives in Pasadena or is traveling across the country to decorate, we want them to feel prepared before they ever walk through our doors,” she said.
The registration drive opens in a year the Tournament of Roses chose “Welcome” as the theme of the 138th Rose Parade. The Tournament, which announced the theme Jan. 15, said in a statement that it “celebrates the simple joy of belonging—that feeling that you’re always welcome, no matter who or where you are.”
AES says it has built Rose Parade floats since 1983 and works out of the Rosemont Pavilion in Pasadena. The company says fresh flowers go on in the final days before the parade, around Dec. 28 and 29.
Asked what she hopes a family that signs up together will remember most, McCormick pointed past the decorating barn to New Year’s Day itself.
“I hope it’s New Year’s morning. I hope they’re watching the parade together, and someone says, ’We helped decorate that,’” she said. “That’s a pretty incredible feeling.”
Registration is open at AESVolunteers.com, where AES describes signing up as a three-step process; the company also links to sign-ups at aescreative.com/rose-
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