The Fiesta Parade Floats warehouse in Irwindale feels like a crafter’s paradise.
Giant boxes of buffalo grass and other natural materials line the walls, the sound of welding tools hum in the background, and everywhere you look lie the elements that will eventually be transformed into the Rose Parade® floats that travel down Colorado Boulevard, and are broadcast to millions of viewers around the world every year.
Now CMC is getting the Fiesta treatment, as the company’s designers and builders will soon begin constructing CMC’s entry in the Jan. 2, 2023 Rose Parade presented by Honda, the first for CMC and The Claremont Colleges.
CMC’s float will celebrate the College’s 75th anniversary and support the Tournament of Roses® theme, “Turning The Corner.” Once complete, CMC’s float will be 55 feet long, 24 feet tall, and collapsible to fit under the 210 freeway along the parade route.
Tim Estes leads Fiesta— the most awarded float builder in Rose Parade history—and has overseen the construction and design of many high-profile Rose Parade floats, including one that broke a Guinness World Record in 2017 and was the longest and heaviest single chassis float ever in parade history.
Estes, a resident of Claremont, describes himself as a “float engineer,” and shares that he got his start in the float business at age 8 when a neighbor invited him to help decorate a parade entry. “I thought it was cool,” recalled Estes, who founded Fiesta in 1988.
With the parade day months away, the floats are currently in either the two-dimensional illustrated design phase, or the miniature 3-D model stage, which take 5-7 days to construct.
CMCers will have the opportunity to take part in decorating the float at Fiesta, and can attend other family-friendly events to celebrate CMC and 2023. Learn more here.
Alumni, parents, and friends can contribute to scholarships for current CMC students, in honor of our participation in the 2023 Rose Parade® by adopting a rose which will “float” down Colorado Blvd. 100%—every dollar—will support student scholarships. Please see more details here.