Parade Floats

parades · festivals · vehicles · art

Built on trucks. Floats are decorated platforms mounted on vehicles or towed behind them, so they can roll through streets during parades without needing their own engine.

Flower masterpieces. The Tournament of Roses Parade in California decorates its floats entirely with real flowers and plant material, creating moving gardens of thousands of blooms.

Celebration stars. Floats appear in some of the world's biggest parties, from Rio's Carnival with its enormous samba floats to New Orleans' Mardi Gras with wild, imaginative designs.

Creative canvases. Float designers use paints, lights, sculptures, and decorations to turn simple trucks into eye-catching works of art that people cheer for as they pass by.

Many famous homes. You can see floats in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Presidential Inaugural Parade, and festivals around the world that celebrate everything from history to music.