Cal Poly Rose Float is calling for design ideas for its entry in the 135th Rose Parade® in 2024 — the milestone 75th year for the Cal Poly universities’ program.
The winner of the 2024 Rose Float Concept Contest will see their design come to life as a 55-foot-long animated mechanical wonder, every inch bedecked in flowers, colorful vegetables and fruit as well as other organics, including tiny seeds and exotic floral material from land and sea.
The float will be showcased before of a crowd of 700,000 Pasadena parade goers and an international television audience in the tens of millions. The winner also can choose between two tickets to the 110th Rose Bowl Game or $500.
Deadline for submissions is 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3. The float will roll down the 5.5-mile-long parade route Monday, Jan. 1, 2024, and then will be on display at FloatFest, the 2-mile showcase of Rose Parade® floats, after the two-hour event concludes.
The theme of the 2024 Rose Parade, “Celebrating a Word of Music,” aims to celebrate how music acts to bring people together.
“In a world of different cultures, beliefs, hopes and dreams, one language unites us all — music. The sound, texture, rhythm, form, harmony, and expression meld together to move, soothe, excite and delight the world,” said Alex Aghajanian, president and chairman of the board for the 2024 Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association. “From bossa nova to blues, classical to country, metal to mariachi and rock to rap, thousands of genres invite us to become one in celebrating a world of music. Whether near or far, young or old, we invite you to yearlong festivities that culminate on New Year’s Day at the Rose Parade. Let the music begin.”
Email submissions, with the subject line “2024 Concept” to calpolyrosefloat1949@gmail.com. Sketches can be in color or black and white and should not exceed 11 inches by 17 inches. Entries must include the applicant’s name, phone number and email. There is no limit to the number of entries an individual can submit.
Students on the Rose Float leadership teams from Cal Poly and California State Polytechnic University in Pomona will review the submissions and vote on the winning concept, which will provide the basis for the final design.
The Cal Poly Rose Float is the only student-built float in the Rose Parade®.
The students’ “Road to Reclamation” float, which took a small scene on a forest floor, featuring animated snails and colorful mushrooms, and enlarged it to gigantic proportions, received the Extraordinaire Award at this year’s parade. It was the program’s 62nd honor in 74 parade appearances stretching back to 1949. The 2021 parade was canceled due to the pandemic.
For questions or more information, contact: Josh D’Acquisto at 805-756-1182 or jdacquis@calpoly.edu, or Cary Khatab at 909-869-3204 or kkhatab@cpp.edu.
Follow Cal Poly Rose Float Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/rosefloat/, Rose Float Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/calpolyrosefloat/?hl=en, and Rose Float Twitter, https://twitter.com/cprosefloat?lang=en, for news and contest updates.
About Cal Poly
Cal Poly is a nationally ranked public university located in San Luis Obispo, California, known for its Learn by Doing philosophy. Each year about 22,000 top-tier students come to Cal Poly to put knowledge into action, taking their learning outside the classroom as they prepare for careers in areas such as engineering, agriculture, science, business, humanities and the built environment. Cal Poly’s hands-on approach, small class sizes and close student-faculty mentorships result in graduates Ready Day One to impact their communities, California and the world. Visit: www.calpoly.edu.
