How to Make a Parade Float Cheaply
Participating in your community's holiday or special event by entering a float in the parade can be expensive, but capitalizing on available resources can drastically reduce the price of taking part.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Determine what type of float you want to build by figuring out what you can use for free. Hay trailers make the best floats due to their flat, wooden surface. Ask friends and family members whether they know a farmer or contractor who might allow you to use their hay trailer or flatbed trailer in the parade. If you can't secure a trailer bed, you can decorate a truck, car or boat and use it as a float.
-
2
Borrow a truck to tow the trailer you've selected to use for your float. Your truck can be decorated and incorporated into the theme you select.
-
-
3
Choose your parade float theme based on the types of materials you can borrow and buy cheaply. Selecting more generic themes over lavish, specific ones enhances your chances of finding float materials at low prices, because these items are often produced in bulk. If you're entering your float in a Christmas parade, choose a theme with classic red and green Christmas colors over more specific silver and gold themes.
-
4
Communicate with other parade participants and determine whether you can buy basic float materials such as floral sheeting at a lower cost by buying items as a group. Many party supply stores and websites offer lower prices for items bought in bulk.
-
5
Recruit a large number of volunteers with varying skills. You need artistically inclined people to determine the float's theme and design. Volunteers who are skilled in carpentry can build a wooden skirt frame for the trailer bed. Build skirt frames with plywood around the border of the trailer bed to cover the trailer wheels.
-
6
Make your own float decorations, rather than buying the materials. Cut cardboard shapes and decorate them with paint and glitter. You can use black trash bags to cover the base of the hay trailer to conceal the wood, if floral sheeting is too expensive. Use household items such as tables and desks covered in sheeting or fabric as platforms on the float instead of constructing these shapes from plywood.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Set a budget before you begin building your float, and stick to it.
Begin planning your float eight weeks before the parade.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
