How a 165-foot float from Newport Beach, the longest in Rose Parade history, makes a 90-degree turn
Officials with Visit Newport Beach are enthusiastic about the splash their float, “Jingle on the Waves,” is making with this year’s Tournament of Roses Parade.
At 165 feet it will be the longest float in the famed parade’s history.
The whole idea of making it so spectacularly long was to attract significant air time during the parade’s global broadcast, drawing more attention to the city, said Gary Sherwin, CEO and president of Visit Newport Beach, which markets the destination town.
Officials with Phoenix Decorating, which has been building the float for Visit Newport, have ensured Sherwin there will be no hiccups while the world watches.
But what about the 90 degree turn the float will have to make at Orange Grove and Colorado boulevards?
Chris Lofthouse, CEO of Phoenix Decorating, said there has been lots of testing, including with tighter turns. And the float’s design helps.
“It’s in five pieces, kinda like the trams at Disneyland,” he said. “The hitches are set up so that mathematically, the rear unit cancels and doesn’t start the turn until late. It sets itself up to make a wide turn.”
Lofthouse said the corner is 90 degrees, but also is 60 feet wide. When the float turns, it goes from a narrower street onto a wider street. Each section of the float has a driver and there is a main driver and navigator.
“I have total confidence it will make the corner,” Lofthouse said, adding that his company has sent 887 floats down the Rose Parade route over the years, all of which have had no issues with the corner. “It’s part of our magic.”
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