How to Make a Float for a Holiday Parade

Whether it's Independence Day or Christmas Day, a holiday parade just isn't a parade without eye catching and colorful floats. Just about anyone can make a float with some basic supplies and a well thought out design. Just consider your theme, consider your audience and follow these basic steps.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Trailer
• Staple gun
• Floral sheeting
• Festooning
• Metallic fringe
• Chicken wire
• Spray adhesive
• Tissue pomps

1. Check with the parade sponsors when registering to see if there are any restrictions as to float size or style. Then design your float based on their guidelines. The last thing you want is to find out at the last minute that your float is ineligible for the parade.

2. Build or borrow a trailer to use as the float's foundation. Hay wagons work great because they're sturdy, and their platform designs make them easy to decorate.

3. Cover the platform with floral sheeting and staple it to the trailer using a staple gun. It's sold in square yards, so determine how many you need by multiplying the length by the width of the trailer in feet surface and divide by nine.

4. Staple metallic fringe around the sides of the trailer and attach matching festooning to hide the seam where the floral sheeting meets the fringe.

5. Build props using chicken wire and tissue pomps. After you make the frame using the chicken wire, attach it to the bed of the trailer so that it stays securely in place while moving during the parade. Apply a spray adhesive to the wire and use your index finger to insert tissue pomps in the holes to fill in the design.

6. Attach the trailer to a truck or SUV and carefully drive to the parade set up site.

Tips & Warnings

• When choosing a trailer, make sure it's large enough to support whatever weight you're putting on it but not so large you have trouble traveling with it to and from the parade site.
• When filling the chicken wire with pomps, you can save time and money by filling every other hole. Though it won't be as full as if you used every hole, it will still look great and no one will be able to tell you skimped.
• You can purchase your decorations individually or opt for a kit. Several different companies sell float decorating packages that can be rather expensive but make the job much easier.
• If at all possible, have people riding on the float sit on it rather than stand. It's much safer that way in the event the float has to make a quick stop.

Resources

• Visit valleydecorating.com for float decorating supplies and instructions.