- What will your parade float theme be? This is an important question to ask yourself before you actually start because it will help you make creative choices that will make your parade float stand out from the rest. Choosing your theme means giving your creative thought some direction, so decide if you'll have a luau theme, a beach scene or something that will implement the palm trees.
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Palm trees can be brought to your float in many different forms. If you have access to electricity you can always choose to buy the lighted palm tree wire frames that you can often find in home stores during the summer months. These would be especially attractive for a night parade as they light up nicely.
Another idea is to get several pieces of PVC and zip tie them together. Once they are zip tied you can bend them slightly and then wrap each pipe with green lights at the top and then wrap them with brown tissue paper to form the trunk. Simply secure these to a plywood base and you have a unique-looking palm tree.
You can always create palm trees out of Styrofoam. Most hobby stores sell large sheets of Styrofoam that can be drawn on and then cut out to create the form of a palm tree, painted with acrylic paints. If you'll be doing a beach scene or a luau scene you can also use the Styrofoam to create a sun.
If you'll be creating water to go with your scene you can use sheer blue fabric or netting that can be purchased at a fabric or hobby store. This can be strung over the back of a truck or can be strung on chicken wire that is secured to the float surface to create height and dimension for a realistic water look. - Some of the best floats are those that have interaction with the crowds that gather to see the parade. To get involved with those in attendance it is a great idea to have several members of your creative team walk alongside the float handing out items to children and even to adults. If you want to have your handouts jive well with your float, you may want to hand out items such as drink coolers, sun visors, hats, leis or candy.
