Volunteer, Ross Meredich, Los Angeles, applies black onion seed to decorate the Newport Beach float “Jingle on the Waves,” a series of five floats that extends to 165 feet, at Phoenix Decorating in Irwindale on Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNGt
The final preparations for Visit Newport Beach’s Tournament of Roses parade float are underway.
“The seeds are all on; now we’re in heavy flower decor,” said Gary Sherwin, president of the city marketing group that’s launching the float in the 2024 Rose Parade. “The float is so long they can’t line it up straight, so it looks like a caterpillar just snaking around.”
Volunteers apply crushed rice to decorate the Newport Beach float “Jingle on the Waves,” a series of five floats that extends to 165 feet, at Phoenix Decorating in Irwindale on Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNGt
Volunteers decorate the Newport Beach float “Jingle on the Waves,” a series of five floats that extends to 165 feet, at Phoenix Decorating in Irwindale on Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNGt
Volunteer, Gemma Forero, applies seeds to decorate the Newport Beach float “Jingle on the Waves,” a series of five floats that extends to 165 feet, at Phoenix Decorating in Irwindale on Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNGt
Volunteers decorate the Newport Beach float “Jingle on the Waves,” a series of five floats that extends to 165 feet, at Phoenix Decorating in Irwindale on Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNGt
Volunteers decorate the Newport Beach float “Jingle on the Waves,” a series of five floats that extends to 165 feet, at Phoenix Decorating in Irwindale on Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNGt
Volunteer, Ross Meredich, Los Angeles, applies black onion seed to decorate the Newport Beach float “Jingle on the Waves,” a series of five floats that extends to 165 feet, at Phoenix Decorating in Irwindale on Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNGt
Volunteers decorate the Newport Beach float “Jingle on the Waves,” a series of five floats that extends to 165 feet, at Phoenix Decorating in Irwindale on Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNGt
Volunteer, Rylan Ho, Walnut, applies crushed rice to decorate the Newport Beach float “Jingle on the Waves,” a series of five floats that extends to 165 feet, at Phoenix Decorating in Irwindale on Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNGt
Volunteer, Rylan Ho, Walnut, applies crushed rice to decorate the Newport Beach float “Jingle on the Waves,” a series of five floats that extends to 165 feet, at Phoenix Decorating in Irwindale on Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNGt
Timothy Zembek, Asst. Crew Chief, helps coordinate the volunteers as they decorate the Newport Beach float “Jingle on the Waves,” a series of five floats that extends to 165 feet, at Phoenix Decorating in Irwindale on Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNGt
Volunteers decorate the Newport Beach float “Jingle on the Waves,” a series of five floats that extends to 165 feet, at Phoenix Decorating in Irwindale on Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNGt
Volunteer, Denise Lee from West Covina, applies crushed rice to decorate the Newport Beach float “Jingle on the Waves,” a series of five floats that extends to 165 feet, at Phoenix Decorating in Irwindale on Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNGt
Volunteer, Suki Zhao applies silverleaf to decorate a dolphin on the Newport Beach float “Jingle on the Waves,” a series of five floats that extends to 165 feet, at Phoenix Decorating in Irwindale on Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNGt
Volunteer, Stefanie Drive, San Diego, prepares Hot Pink statice to decorate the Newport Beach float “Jingle on the Waves,” a series of five floats that extends to 165 feet, at Phoenix Decorating in Irwindale on Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNGt
Created in five segments, each represents boats in the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade, another iconic holiday tradition in Southern California. The float is recreating some of Newport Beach’s most notable landmarks in florals and fauna.
“Each of the five mini floats within the float have their own distinctive personality,” Sherwin said. “It will have a lot of magic.”
This is Newport Beach’s first appearance in the Rose Parade in 18 years. In 2006, the city entered a float celebrating its centennial.
The float has been under construction at Phoenix Decorating in Irwindale. In the last week, dozens of volunteers from the community have helped with finishing touches.
Seeing it firsthand, Sherwin said, makes the experience all the more special.
“You’re in the warehouse, and there are all these great floats next to us,” he said. “There’s a Western-looking one from the Cowboy Channel, Shriner’s Hospital, the Rose Queen and her court float, and the Rose Bowl game float. People can get a sneak peek when they’re decorating ours.”
The Visit Newport float will be eighth in the lineup and come up to the judges’ stand right before the parade’s grand marshal. There are seven people involved in driving the float, with one for each segment, a main driver and a navigator.
“If they need to stop, they have to stop all together,” Sherwin said, noting that having an issue near the grand marshal might not bode well for any awards the float hopes to earn.
A rendering showcasing Newport Beach’s float entry titled, “Jingle on the Waves,xe2x80x9c for the upcoming Rose Parade on New Year’s Day. (Courtesy of Visit Newport Beach)
But Sherwin said he’s not worried about any of those issues. There has been plenty of testing, including weight and mobility tests. There has even been a “float evacuation plan” test, which the fire department requires.
“From the float standpoint, I feel really good,” he said. “Only thing I’m nervous about is some of the weather reports. The last time we had rain in the parade was when we had our last entry. I hope there isn’t a Newport curse. I don’t want people shrouded in ponchos.”
