The Cal Poly Rose Float team's entry in the 2023 Tournament of Roses Parade will be the first of the judged floats to roll down Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena on January 2.
The float, called "Road to Reclamation," will be the fourth overall entry in the parade, immediately following the Marine Corps color guard and marching band, according to Cal Poly.
“It is really, really exciting,” said team president Annie Doody, a marine sciences major from Glendale. “It’s really cool to know that we’ll be one of the first things that people see during the parade. It’s going to help, pardon the pun, set the theme for the parade.”
Every year, students at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo work with students at Cal Poly Pomona to create a float for the Rose Parade. Half of the float is built in San Luis Obispo and the other half is built in Pomona.
In October, the San Luis Obispo half was transported to Pomona where the two pieces were joined together.
Earlier this week, the float was moved to the Rosemont Pavilion in Pasadena where work will continue through January 1, when the float will be judged.
Once complete, the float will portray giant snails, mushrooms and colorful fungi "transforming a dead tree branch into a catalyst for new life." It was designed to reflect the parade's theme, "Turning the Corner," which is meant to symbolize the positive change and unlimited potential that each new year can bring.
This will be Cal Poly's 74th entry in the Rose Parade.
Since their first parade entry in 1949, the Cal Poly Rose Float team has won 61 awards, including the Animation Award for their "Stargrazers" float in the 2022 Rose Parade.
This year's award winners will be announced at about 6 a.m. on January 2, with the parade starting at 8 a.m.
While the Tournament of Roses Parade typically takes place on New Year's Day, it is being held on January 2, 2023, because January 1 happens to fall on a Sunday.
Volunteers are needed to help decorate the Cal Poly float with flowers and other organic materials starting the day after Christmas. Click here for information on how to participate.
