How to Design Parade Floats
Whether you're designing a float for the Macy's Day Parade or your hometown, floats are a great way for organizations to get the word out on their business, charities and functions. Parade floats can be simple or complex, depending on your budget.
Things You'll Need
- Float committee
- Float trailer
- Trailer hitch
- Props
- Paint
- Nails
- Hammer
- Sign
Instructions
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Put together a reliable team of people to work on your float. Designate a committee head and sit down together to plan out a strategy and design.
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Choose a theme for your float. If the parade is based around a holiday, consider going with a holiday theme. For example, you might design a Christmas float around a famous holiday song or story, or a homecoming float around a popular high school film scene.
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Contact the parade chairperson and ask for details on float rules and regulations such as height, weight and length restrictions. Be sure when designing you stick to regulations for safety's sake.
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Delegate the work to your committee, putting everyone in charge of an aspect of the float's creation. Have one team work on costumes, another team can design props, while a third team works on putting together a sign.
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Rent a float trailer and a trailer hitch. Most floats are built on either low-boy or hay trailers.
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Arrange your props on the trailer and secure them into place with nails.
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Dress your float riders in coordinating costumes and assign them positions in the scene. Make sure all standing positions have a safe place they can hold on, so no one gets hurt while the float is in motion.
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Tips & Warnings
If you plan to have music or electricity on your float, make sure you have a professional electrician help you set things up. If you are designing a float for children, allow them to actively participate in the design process.
Make sure all props are secured in place to avoid a major accident during parade time.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit http://www.flickr.com/photos/voght/2611719576/
