Phoenix Decorating Co

I had the wonderful experience of seeing Rose parade float decorating twice. For the 2014 and the 2016 parades. It is amazing to watch a rough float turn into a magnificent floral masterpiece. This seems to be getting more popular and or more publicized. In 2014 we just walked in. On the last day for 2016 (after judging on ¹²⁄₃₁) we waiting in line almost 2 hours. Go early in the day. Well worth the experience. In some ways better than the parade because you see so much.

It’s organized chaos at it’s best! Decorating a rose parade float is one of the most grueling but fun experiences a person can have. I have done this for three years now and it is always amazing how in just a few short weeks the Phoenix decorating company is able to organize volunteers to create amazing floats for a parade.
This year I got to glue tiny orange lentils to the float. It’s funny how lentils were easier to glue over split peas in years past. I have also had the opportunity to cut flowers. whether I am cutting, gluing, cleaning, or blending spending 4 hours volunteering for an awe inspiring event is definitely once in a life time event and I can’t wait for the opportunity to do it again next year.

These guys are great and create beautiful floats! I have helped decorate for three years and they are all friendly and helpful and it’s so much fun to be a part of this event. You should definitely sign up to help. I am waitlisted this year. I forgot to sign up earlier. :(

There are things you need to do at least once in your life. Rose parade float decorating is one I had on the bucket list.
My experience… Up way early, eight hour shift, paid for parking, it was cold, manual labor, required to buy volunteer shirt, climbed a two story scaffolding to work. Some really nice crew leaders, some NOT so nice.
So, was it worth it? Yes, it was! Very interesting to see how all the magic is put together. Even better, there’s something to be said about working as a community on such a special event (in this case for the world to see). Pretty proud of myself at the end. Additionally, you meet people (young and old) from all over the country volunteering, many do this annually.
A great group event or even do this by yourself (I’m sure you’ll make friends). Bring warm clothing, a pair of earphones, camera, tissue (for your cold runny nose), and snacks. If you’re interested contact Petal Pushers, the Lutheran organization that organizes the volunteering.
This year when I watch the parade on TV, I can say… «See that flower placement, I DID THAT!» So, look for a big teddy bear with a football helmet, that’s me!
As always, let me know what you think!

Every year, my company hires Phoenix to create and decorate our Donate Life float. They do a wonderful job, are organized, creative, and dedicated. I love Jim the BMOC at Rosemont Pavilion. And, Mimi and Mike Thompson do a fantastic job on our float.
I love volunteering here and seeing the floats. Wonderful yearly tradition.

Am I the only one that is either too hungover or lazy to actually wake up and WATCH the Rose Parade?! I can’t recall the last time time caught the entire telecast. But when I have, it is quite neat to see all the amazing floats made entirely of flowers, plants, vegetables, beans, and a bunch of other live things. You can even get a tour of the facility to get an up-​close look at the decorating magic! With that said, I hate having to write such a poor review, especially being that it’s New Year’s Day. My friend’s company has a float in this year’s Rose Parade. As such, the employees and members of the organization could invite a few people to come help decorate their float. I thought this would be fun! So we arrived at 3:30 on Friday for our 4pm — 11pm shift. Let’s just say by 5:45, I was still standing around waiting for something to do.
Phoenix needs a better system in place to accommodate sponsored float volunteers as well as Phoenix volunteers, aka ‘Petal Pushers’. The Petal Pushers are brought in for those floats that don’t have enough volunteers of their own, to make sure all the floats have people working on them for completion. It was SO disorganized. A group of about 30 of us (not including these damn petal pushers!) arrived for the 4pm shift. We walked in and are given the choice of «who likes scaffolding?» or «who likes detail work?». Well, I didn’t really feel comfortable crawling up on those unstable-​looking platform things. Plus, there is a weight limit as to how many people can go up at a time. And there was only so many people that could work on the detailing signs. That left about 15 of us that kept being told «we’ll get you a job in a second». That second turned into 2 hours of standing watching the others. I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes when they finally came to us around 7:30 and said, «we’re going to have you guys find some brooms and sweep around the float». Are you fuckin kidding me!!! It’s not that I’m above sweeping or that I didn’t want to be a team player, but I volunteered thinking I was actually going to get to help DECORATE! There was no control as to what jobs/​assignments were needed, and how many people were needed to do them. Basically, the damn float was overbooked. To top it off, the people from the previous shift didn’t leave at 4 when we arrived. Too many people, not enough work. The float leaders are then tired and cranky and likely sick of people asking them «is there something I can do», so they become rude and bitchy and snappy. Not cool.
If you decide to go, wear comfy clothes and shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty. By the end of the night we were spotted with flower dust and glue blobs. Leave your purse or bag at home or in the trunk of your car. There is no place to store or leave belongings, and you can’t really ‘work’ while holding your LV! Don’t expect to see a list of things that need to worked on with X number of people needed, where you can sign up for a job. I don’t think I’d volunteer to decorate a float again, at least not with Phoenix. I don’t know if the other companies are set up in a similar fashion, but I can’t say I enjoyed my experience at all.
I’ll still watch the parade though this year, looking proudly for the artichokes and moss I finally got do! :-)

Hey Hey! This is a fun thing to do at least ONCE in your life; okay maybe twice in your life. Once for you, once with your kids. It’s more fun doing the floral application; kids will lose interest with the dry materials tasks (like mine did…) Just one more thing to toss into the basket of childhood memories made… you will feel like Clark Griswald going to Wally World.

After a wild night of partying, drinking, and general debauchery on New Years Eve, isn’t it nice to wake up around noon and watch the re-​broadcast of the Tournament of Roses Parade on TV?
Well, Phoenix Decorating Co. is one of the main companies responsible for the pretty flowered floats you can watch as you nurse your hangover. The Phoenix Decorating Company is known as the premier builder of Rose Parade floats and every year they do floats big and small.
If you want to decorate a float, you can visit their website and find out information about how you can volunteer: