Onlookers admire the Explore Louisiana float at yesterday's Rose Parade
Jan 02, 2024
PASADENA, CA – The Tournament of Roses Parade, held here on New Year's Day since 1890, is an annual explosion of activity with vibrant floats, spirited marching bands, horseback riders, and hundreds of thousands of spectators who line the five-mile route to cheer on the electrifying procession.
The 2024 parade once again included an entry from Explore Louisiana, the state’s office of tourism, that featured a larger-than-life Mardi Gras jester, fleur-de-lis, and flourishes incorporating the iconic purple, green, and gold color scheme.
Every inch of every float in the Rose Parade must be covered with flowers or other natural materials, such as leaves, seeds, bark, or rice. And while floats are professionally designed, they are decorated by volunteers days before the parade – more than 900 volunteers devoted 80 thousand hours to the endeavor this year.
Among those volunteers was Kane Webb, USA Rice director of field services, who along with his wife, Ginger, and daughters Kana and Molly, traveled to southern California to be part of the team helping to decorate their home state’s float.
“Rice is everywhere on it, but all over the other floats as well,” said Kane. “For the most part, when you see white shapes and patterns on a float, it’s rice!”
The 81st International Rice Festival Queen and Senior Director of Social Media for Visit Lake Charles Kathryn Shea Duncan participated in the parade, reporting that U.S.-grown rice was also featured on the OneLegacy Donate Life, Kaiser Permanent, The City of Torrance, and The UPS Store floats.
According to float designers, they mainly use brokens and sometimes ground rice because the smaller the rice, the easier it is to glue onto intricate patterns.
“I did sneak into the supply area and get a picture of the pallets of rice bags before they ran me out,” said Kane. “I was on the hunt to find out if the rice was U.S.-grown and it was: short grain from Koda Farms, a third-generation, family-owned, American company based in Dos Palos, California.”
On New Year’s Eve, the floats were judged based on design, floral presentation, and entertainment value, and the Louisiana float won the Showmanship Award for the second year in a row.