More than 800,000 spectators are expected in Pasadena on Monday, January 1, 2024 for the 135th Rose Parade. You can witness an LGBTQ+ first as Greater Fort Lauderdale’s diversity and creativity unfold before the world’s eyes. Visit Lauderdale will have a spectacular float in the parade. The float will feature many themes of Broward County and why the world should visit. And that prominently features the LGBTQ+ community as a reason to visit. In a time when there is so much conservative attack on our community, the float proudly represents the diversity of this community. A rainbow is prominently featured in florals as every exposed area of the float must be covered in colorful roses, flax seeds, brussel sprouts, sesame seeds, blue statice, orchids and other organic cover. Equally exciting is how the LGBTQ+ community is represented on the float. Visit Lauderdale announced today that Stuart Milk will ride the float. The LGBTQ+ rights advocate is Executive Director of The Harvey Milk foundation and nephew of Harvey Milk. The diversity of Visit Lauderdale's campaign “Everyone Under The Sun” is clear with riders that include Broward County’s Principal of the Year Marie Hautigan, the Miss Florida Seminole Princess Thomlynn Billie, Florida Panthers hockey legend Bill Lindsay along with Florida Panthers mascot Stanley C. Panther. Emmy-nominated artist Alexander Star will perform the newly released destination music anthem for Greater Fort Lauderdale.
The $800,000 price tag to build the float may have been an incredibly savvy move as more than 20 million people watch the parade live on New Year's Day on all three major tv networks and more than 5 cable channels.
The float is 24 feet long, 18 feet wide and 55 feet high with an estimated 45,000 flowers, including 1000 varieties of fragrant and colorful roses. There will also be life-sized replicas of alligators with waving tails and sea turtles emerging from the sands.
The superstructure for the float began on October 1. This weekend non perishable vegetative materials will start to be applied. Starting Tuesday, the day after Christmas, the second coverings begin. Highly perishable flowers will be placed in water and applied to our community's float starting 24 hours before the Monday parade. It is estimated that it will take 60 people working 10 hours a day for 10 days to decorate our float. This is the first time in the 135 years of the Pasadena Rose Parade that the LGBTQ+ community has been embraced with such visibility.
The live telecast of the parade will be aired on NBC, ABC and CBS beginning at 8 a.m on the west coast and 11 am in the community that welcomes “Everyone Under The Sun.”
