In 1981 and 1982, a South Pasadena High School student named Terry Madigan drove South Pasadena's float in the Rose Parade. He was new to town and had signed up to volunteer with the South Pasadena Tournament of Roses. Today he is president of the Tournament of Roses Association. According to Pasadena Now, the theme he chose for the 2027 parade, "Welcome," came partly from that first experience. He said he had been looking for a chosen family and found one working on South Pasadena's float.
So the theme for the whole 138th Rose Parade, set for Friday, January 1, 2027, goes back to South Pasadena's float. The float that will carry South Pasadena's name that morning is being built now by whoever shows up to help, the same way Madigan's float was.
The town answered "Welcome" with a housewarming
The committee's 2027 design is called "Welcome to the Neighborhood." Pasadena Now's June 12 story describes designer Renee Hoss-Johnson's rendering as a family of bluebirds moving into a storybook cottage that rises from a flower-lined hillside. The cottage has gabled, shingled roofs, gingerbread trim, flower boxes and a round doorway in its tree-trunk base. New neighbors arrive with gifts. A rosy-cheeked squirrel carries acorns, a skunk brings tulips and a groundhog brings fresh-picked carrots. A white picket fence and a carpet of pink, purple, yellow and orange flowers frame the scene.
South Pasadena Tournament of Roses president John Adamson told the outlet the design captures what Madigan described to him as "that sense of belonging that people really need, and you find in South Pasadena."
The design fits the theme nicely. The cottage, the picket fence and the neighbors with their gifts all describe how this float actually gets built.
Neighbors build it from the ground up
Pasadena Now reports that it is one of only six floats in the parade built and funded entirely by community volunteers and donors. The committee's history page says the group was founded in 1893, entered its first float in 1911 and has designed and built its own floats for more than a century, using only natural materials. Its homepage calls it the parade's oldest self-built float.
That takes a lot of work and money. The committee raises close to $200,000 each year for flowers and construction materials, and volunteers put in thousands of hours. The whole build happens between August 1 and December 31.
The judges have noticed the results. "Seas the Day," the 2025 entry, won the Fantasy Award. "The Great Picnic Heist!" won the Past President Award at the 2026 parade. The South Pasadena Review reported that the Past President Award recognizes innovation in floral and non-floral materials. That's a notable prize for a float built by volunteers working outdoors under a tent.
Where the hours go between now and New Year's
The float site is at 435 Fair Oaks Ave. Construction starts in summer and decorating starts in fall. That means the shifts left on the calendar are mostly the work that turns the structure into the cottage, the critters and the flower beds.
Shifts are booked through the committee's SignUpGenius page. Walk-ups are welcome when spots are open, but signing up ahead is encouraged, especially for larger groups. Here's how the rest of the season is set up:
| Stretch | Dates on the grid | Typical shift times |
|---|---|---|
| Rest of November | Nov. 12, 14, 15, 19, 21, 22 and 29 | Thursday evenings 6–10 p.m.; weekends 9 a.m.–noon and 1–4 p.m. |
| December build-up | Dec. 1, 3, 6, 8, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 20 and 21–23 | Weekday evenings 6–10 p.m.; weekends 9 a.m.–noon and 1–4 p.m. |
| Deco Week | Dec. 26–30 | Three shifts a day Dec. 26–29; Dec. 30 adds an overnight shift |
| Cleanup | Dec. 31 | 9 a.m.–noon, cleanup only, no decorating |
The signup grid changes as slots fill, so check it before you head over. Deco Week also has its own parking plan for Dec. 26 through Jan. 1, which is posted on the volunteer page.
The Dec. 30 overnight shift is the last decorating shift on the grid. If you've only ever watched the float on parade morning, it's a good one to try at least once.
Who can work where on the float
The committee assigns jobs by age, so a family outing works best if you plan around these rules. Per the volunteer page:
- Under 10: cannot be accommodated
- Ages 10–12: outside the tent, with a parent or guardian
- Age 13: inside the tent, with a parent or guardian
- Age 14: on the float structure, with a parent or guardian
- Age 15: on the float structure
- 16 and up: on the float structure and scaffolding
Every volunteer fills out a medical release form, and a parent or guardian signs it for minors. The site rules are strict. There's no running or horseplay, no earbuds or headphones, and no phones in the work area, though you can use them in the parking lot. Minors can't leave the site without an adult. Everyone follows the float crew's instructions.
Students who need community service hours can get them here. Ask the sign-in staff to fill out your form before you leave.
If you'd rather help on the construction crew than with decorating, email [email protected]. Decorating questions go to [email protected].
Fair Oaks Avenue in December
The float site isn't the only place to celebrate the holidays along Fair Oaks this December. A few blocks down, the War Memorial Building at 625 Fair Oaks Ave. hosts two December events, one for families and one for grown-ups.
On Saturday, Dec. 12, the City of South Pasadena's Community Services Department holds its annual Breakfast with Santa there from 9 to 11 a.m. On Tuesday, Dec. 29, in the middle of Deco Week, the same building hosts the committee's CrunchTime Party starting at 5 p.m. Tickets are $85 and include dinner, beer, wine and soda, plus live and silent auctions and a raffle. The proceeds go toward the 2027 float. Details are on the committee's events page.
Before either of those, the city's Holiday Lighting Event takes place in Library Park on Saturday, Dec. 5. The city has said more details are coming.
That makes a good December plan. Go to the tree lighting on the 5th, take a Saturday decorating shift at 435 Fair Oaks, bring the kids to Breakfast with Santa on the 12th, and come back for CrunchTime on the 29th to see how close the bluebirds' cottage is to finished. If you can't make a shift, the committee also raises money through banner sponsorships, souvenirs, a raffle, See's Candy sales and direct donations, which are listed on SPTOR.org.
On New Year's morning, viewers will see bluebirds settling into a new home while the neighbors bring gifts. A lot of the people who built it will be watching too.
I love a community tradition that asks everyone to pitch in, whether it's a Thursday night with a bucket of petals or an overnight shift before the parade. If you're new to South Pasadena or thinking about settling here and want to know more about the town beyond the float tent, Kristin Fox is always glad to talk it through over coffee. Let's Connect.
