Mardi Gras Parade Floats for 2012

Mardi Gras 2012 is just around the corner and so are the dazzling parades, which have been the main event of the carnival season for centuries.  Mardi Gras 2012 is February 21.  It takes place annually on the Tuesday before Lent, a Christian time of fasting and penance. The colors of Mardi Gras: green, purple and gold, are symbolic for justice, faith and power respectively. Spirit beads in these colors are plentiful, during the grand celebration, where amazing floats delight large crowds, lining city streets to awe at invigorating parades, and be energized by lively and welcoming surroundings.

Mardi Gras parade floats are a steadfast tradition of the season; they are often created with dynamic designs, using a wide assortment of elaborate Mardi Gras party supplies.

Mardi Gras floats are not simply reserved for parades, however. They can be tailor made in many sizes. Children’s wagons and even shoe boxes can be transformed into miniature floats that can be used in neighborhood block parties, local park celebrations, or as Mardi Gras decorations for private parties.

No matter what the design, theme or size of this year’s Mardi Gras parade float, some classic elements are sure add a touch of flair and excitement to any Mardi Gras celebration in 2012.

Crafters should begin by covering the base of their Mardi Gras float with background materials. Decorating fabric, burlap, gossamer fabric and corrugated paper transform parade float bases into works of art. Scene setters come in handy when time for creating parade floats is limited.

Once the background is in place, custom Mardi Gras banners, mascots and a various assortment of party balloons should be added to the Mardi Gras parade float. Mardi Gras props including masks, jazz musicians and large, custom 2012 standees transform ordinary parade floats into traditional Mardi Gras masterpieces. Add some metallic curtains or a bit of fringe as a finishing touch, toss a few strands of colorful Mardi Gras spirit beads about, and Mardi Gras 2012 will be one that is happily remembered, every time Mardi Gras is celebrated.

Create a New Year’s Day Parade Float

New Year’s Day is a day filled with excitement and anticipation as people gather with friends, family, and as a community to celebrate the upcoming year. Ring in the New Year with a unique parade float design, a quality selection of parade float supplies, and a fantastic, dedicated crew of float decorators this year. Get started creating a dramatic scene for your New Year’s Day parade float with the following original ideas:

Stars on Broadway Float
Parade float supplies are just the ticket for decorating the bottom of a float trailer. Use a snazzy black with silver stars metallic fringe for a glitzy effect around the entire trailer. Trim the top edge of the fringe with metallic holographic twistees garland. Add to the color palate by attaching your choice of brightly colored floral sheeting onto the floor of the float.

Raise the focal point of your float by placing a pair of stars on Broadway debut entrance pieces at one end of the float. For more height, add a pair of stars on Broadway columns to the décor. Attach a big, bold Broadway sign in between the columns to increase the dramatic flair and enhance the ambiance of the float.

Recruit several float participants to ride along on the parade route as Broadway stars and dress them up in fancy costumes complete with feathered boas and top hats. To give the crowd a thrill and fill in unoccupied spaces, choose a few Hollywood standees to set up that boost the Broadway star theme of your float.

Ski Lodge Float
Turn your New Year’s Day float into a ski lodge retreat by blasting your float with a multitude of cool winter decorations. Start decorating your float by attaching blue and white fringe around the base of the trailer for a wintry look. Next, cover the floor of the trailer with shimmering white floral sheeting, which gives it a snowy effect. Then position a whimsical ski lodge arch at one end of the float with groupings of snowy pine tree standees creating a pathway down the float. Another attractive winter decoration is the winter luminescent column, embellished with a snowflake Mylar balloon, and silver cracked ice streamers. Standing snowflakes with iridescent glitter make great fillers for added decorations. A park bench or seating area is also a great idea to include on the float.

Enlist fun and lively friends and family to dress up as avid winter sport enthusiasts equipped with skis, snowboards, and snowshoes. On the opposite end of the float include a happy snowman standee to join a group of kids having a snowball fight. Use several Styrofoam balls as the snowball props. Have everyone dress in winter apparel, including hats, scarves, boots, and winter coats.

Amazing Holiday Pageant Parade Floats

Take the message of Christmas to the streets this holiday season aboard a float! Design an amazing holiday pageant parade float. Whether you want to make a simple float idea come to life, or you want to achieve a more elaborate vision, the possibilities are limitless. Retell the story of the nativity and the events surrounding the birth of Christ in a fresh and exciting way. Opt to create one individual pageant scene or tell the whole story with multiple scenes on one float, the choice is up to you.

Parade Materials
Cover the edge of the trailer with gold metallic fringe. Add a nativity scene personalized banner on top of the fringe on each side. Create a sandy, dirt flooring look by using parade float materials such as gold metallic floral sheeting or gold/silver mottled gossamer.

Nativity Scene
For a simple 2 dimensional look, position the nativity scene standee kit on the float and add large straw bales for a more natural scene. For a more realistic feel, use real people dressed in biblical costumes and children dressed in animal costumes, in lieu of live animals. Build a stable scene using plywood covered with woodgrain patterned paper, and hay or straw for the roof. Back in that day and age most mangers were made out of stone. Build a manger box, then cover it with flagstone patterned gossamer to bring a more realistic setting to your float.

Hillside Encounter
Start by attaching green grass colored fringe around the entire edge of the trailer. Replicate the scene of the angelic encounter with the shepherds on a hillside watching their flocks. Elevate part of the scene to create a hillside environment, then cover the flooring and the hill with grass mats and scatter grass. Situate groupings of sheep standees and shepherds all over the float. Dress up the shepherds with costumes and shepherds hooks. Adorn the angel(s) with angel wings & halo or a complete heaven’s angel costume. Place the angel underneath the lighted star cutout arch for a more celestial ambiance. Use lots of star décor to help set the stage for this glorious scene.

Journey of the Wisemen
Use gold metallic fringe as a skirt around the trailer. Dress up the Wisemen with long beards and rich looking robes. Endeavor to position the camel standees near the Wisemen, as if they were just riding on them for a long journey. Decorate fancy boxes for the Wisemen to carry their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the new baby King. Fill a gold star mylar balloon with helium to float above the Wisemen to represent the North star that they followed to deliver their gifts and worship the Christ child. Create a rural scene with grass, straw bales, and lots of rocks.