The Swan Valley High School freshmen class created a stunning float based on the theme “Seven Ancient Wonders of the World.” They incorporated their school mascot, the Vikings, into the Hanging Gardens of Babylon to create a beautiful float using the slogan “This is Viking Country ‘The Eighth Wonder Of The World.’”

The two-sided float measured 14 feet high and 18 feet long and included horns, footballs, helmets and a Viking poised to attack the rival Panthers amid the garden, combining the intensity of football season with the serene wonder of the Hanging Gardens.

Swan Valley High School is in Saginaw, MI. Great job team!

We love hearing about your parade floats. Thanks to float designer William Kaiser for sharing!

The key to an awesome Parade is planning, planning and more planning! As soon as school starts, you will want to form a Parade committee to handle every aspect of the Homecoming Parade. Here are suggestions on what the Homecoming Parade Committee must do.

• Decide on an overall theme for the parade. Coordinate this with the Homecoming Dance committee. Be sure that the theme you choose is something you feel comfortable working with. And be sure that there are enough ideas for many floats to take part in the parade.
• Read our How to Build a Float Book. This is a must-have for any parade! You’ll find valuable tips, suggestions and unique ideas that will help you with all of your float questions.
• Check out the Float Designs on our site for ideas. Look through books and magazines for additional ideas.
• Plan the class floats. Have each class form their own parade committee. Allow the senior class to choose their float idea first, then the junior class, then the sophomores and then the freshmen. Make sure the different floats complement the overall theme of the parade. Do not approve anything that will be out of taste or offensive to the crowd.
• Check with your school’s alumni organization. Do they want to enter a float in the parade? If so, be sure to give them all the theme details, as well as the class float ideas. If they do not want to take part in the parade, then ask for their help with the overall organization of the parade. They may also be able to assist you with community contributions.
• Check with the school marching band, dance team and cheerleading squad. What will their role be in the parade? Are there other clubs and organizations in the school that will want to be involved?
• Go out into the community and see if you can find parade sponsors. You will need to use some type of vehicles for the different floats. Is there a local car dealership that would be willing to lend you cars for the parade? Ask about borrowing convertibles for float members to ride in. Provide advertising opportunities for community sponsors in your Homecoming brochure. Allow them to advertise their dealership on the sides of the cars they loan.
• Set up a subcommittee to work with your local police department. You will need to involve them to determine the route of the parade and general security issues. They will have to rope off the area you will be using.
• Determine timeline of parade. For example, how long will the parade take from start to finish? How slow will the vehicles travel? How far apart will you place the floats?
• Determine the order of the parade floats and the bands and other clubs that will participate in the parade. Be sure to have the senior class float as the last float in the parade.
• Establish a “rain day” plan. What will you do in the case of inclement weather? Will you reschedule the parade for another day? Plan to hold the parade anyway? Be sure to have a detailed plan in place, and advise all participants of the plan well in advance of the parade date. Set up a phone number for participants to call for information / questions on the morning of the parade.
• Set up a subcommittee that will work with the parade crowd. Arrange to have them supply the crowd with different items to use during the parade. Our pom pons, beads, confetti and candy will be perfect! Be sure to order these items well in advance of the parade, and have volunteers distribute the goods all along the parade route.
• Be sure to advise each class that they must have a driver for their float. You will want to use an adult for this job. A teacher, student advisor or parent would be a suitable choice. Be sure to give the driver instructions on how fast to go, a map of the parade route, and what to wear.
• Order your float decorations as soon as you determine your float. Be sure to have enough fringe, floral sheeting, paint, and banners. You do not want to run out right before the big day!
• Spread the word and generate excitement about the parade. Advertise it in community newspapers, church bulletins, club memos, and any other place you think will reach a large number of people.
• Put up signs around town to spread the word about the parade. Be sure to check with local merchants before you hang signs on their store windows. Some suggestions include grocery stores, banks, car washes and establishments owned by school alumni.
• On the eve of the parade, put out signs on the parade route. Be sure to clear this with the police and other agencies you are working with. Use our paints, chalks, banners and letters to generate big excitement!
• On the day of the parade, arrange for all floats to be in place at least an hour before the parade start time. Line up the floats, start the first one on its way and have fun!

A growing trend in high schools is a Snowcoming or winter formal. You can make your Snowcoming extra-special with a parade! Here are our tips for a snowflake-inspired parade float. It’s the perfect float for the Snowcoming King and Queen to ride on to the coronation!

The float is built on an 8′ x 16′ farm wagon with the back removed. A similar size trailer, used to move small construction equipment, might be borrowed from a local construction company. The float also might be built on the back of a flat bed truck.

A light wooden frame, made of #2 1 x 3 pine surrounds the wagon. The frame extends from the top of the wagon bed to 15″ from the ground. You can find wood for the frame at your local lumberyard. A basic frame this size requires approximately 140′ of lumber.

Waterproof, flameproof Floral Sheeting is stapled to the frame. This size float requires 16 yards of light blue or white vinyl floral sheeting for the sides. There’s even snowflake floral sheeting with a perfect iridescent shimmer! The floor requires another 15 yards of floral sheeting. To calculate how much floral sheeting you need for your float, measure the distance around in feet and divide by three to get the yardage. Floral sheeting is sold in square yards. Floral sheeting is made of a heavy plastic backing sheet with rows of sewn-on scalloped plastic flower petal shapes.

14″ high light blue, silver or white fringe is stapled to the bottom of the frame where the floral sheeting stops. Fringe is available in 10′ length packages. This size float requires five, 10′ packages of metallic fringe.

Light blue or white festooning outlines the sides of the float. Festooning is available in 48′ long rolls. This size float requires three, 48′ rolls of festooning. The floral sheeting, festooning and fringe are all made of the same plastic material (waterproof, fade-proof and flameproof) and reusable for another float at another time.

The Styrofoam letters or numbers are 8″ high, and can be used to add your slogan to the side of the float. You can paint them with inexpensive interior latex paint or leave them white. Be sure to add another board, such as plywood, to your frame under the Floral Sheeting. Just use small nails to fasten the letters to the board. As an alternative, hot glue the letters to the floral sheeting.

Build giant snowflakes out of corrugated paper or use a giant snowflake arch for the King and Queen to stand under. There are tons of snowflake themed decorating kits to help adorn your float. Create a giant snowflake using chicken wire and boards. Build a basic, round frame by cutting semi-circles out of the boards and nailing them together. Attach chicken wire to the boards with staple guns and shape it into the pronged snowflake shape. Remember, each snowflake is unique, so get creative. The chicken wire should be pliable enough to shape, but sturdy enough that it will stay in the shape you want! Put white tissue pomps in every other opening in the chicken wire and secure them with pomps paste. Glitter spray paint is perfect for adding the finishing touches!

Send us your pictures and parade float stories!

A Christmas tree float is a great way to bring a classic touch to a holiday parade. There are tons of ways for you to create this float, but here are some of our ideas.

The float is built on an 8′ x 16′ farm wagon with the back removed. A similar size trailer, used to move small construction equipment, might be borrowed from a local construction company. The float also might be built on the back of a flat bed truck.

A light wooden frame, made of #2 1 x 3 pine surrounds the wagon. The frame extends from the top of the wagon bed to 15″ from the ground. You can find wood for the frame at your local lumberyard. A basic frame this size requires approximately 140′ of lumber.

Waterproof, flameproof Floral Sheeting is stapled to the frame. This size float requires 16 yards of green or white Vinyl floral sheeting for the sides. There’s even snowflake floral sheeting with a perfect iridescent shimmer! The floor requires another 15 yards of floral sheeting. To calculate how much floral sheeting you need for your float, measure the distance around in feet and divide by three to get the yardage. Floral sheeting is sold in square yards. Floral sheeting is made of a heavy plastic backing sheet with rows of sewn-on scalloped plastic flower petal shapes.

14″ high metallic green or white fringe is stapled to the bottom of the frame where the Floral Sheeting stops. Fringe is available in 10′ length packages. This size float requires five, 10′ packages of metallic fringe.

Metallic green or white festooning outlines the sides of the float. Festooning is available in 48′ long rolls. This size float requires three, 48′ rolls of festooning. The floral sheeting, festooning and fringe are all made of the same plastic material (waterproof, fade-proof and flameproof) and reusable for another float at another time.

The Styrofoam letters or numbers are 8″ high, and can be used to add your slogan to the side of the float. You can paint them with inexpensive interior latex paint or leave them white. Be sure to add another board, such as plywood, to your frame under the Floral Sheeting. Just use small nails to fasten the letters to the board. As an alternative, hot glue the letters to the floral sheeting.
Add the tree to your float using an artificial tree or create your own tree using chicken wire and 1 x 3 boards. To make your tree, build a basic support for it including a base and both vertical and horizontal beams. Shape the chicken wire in the outline of your Christmas tree, either in a cone shape or with branches jutting out. Stuff every other opening in the chicken wire with green tissue squares, holding them in place with pomps paste. You can add decorations with tissue squares in other colors or make them out of other materials and attach them with glue or staples.

Create packages beneath the tree by covering big boxes out of flat paper, or build the boxes out of bright colored corrugated paper. Use festooning for ribbons on the packages.

Show us pictures of your holiday floats and check out our tips for a snowman or a Santa Claus float.

A snowman float is a great addition to any holiday parade! Your organization or team can have a blast building a snowman float that will be the hit of the parade. Here’s our tips on how to do just that! 

The float is built on an 8′ x 16′ farm wagon with the back removed. A similar size trailer, used to move small construction equipment, might be borrowed from a local construction company. The float also might be built on the back of a flat bed truck.

A light wooden frame, made of #2 1 x 3 pine surrounds the wagon. The frame extends from the top of the wagon bed to 15″ from the ground. You can find wood for the frame at your local lumberyard. A basic frame this size requires approximately 140′ of lumber.

Waterproof, flameproof Floral Sheeting is stapled to the frame. This size float requires 16 yards of blue or white Vinyl floral sheeting for the sides. There’s even snowflake floral sheeting with a perfect iridescent shimmer! The floor requires another 15 yards of floral sheeting. To calculate how much floral sheeting you need for your float, measure the distance around in feet and divide by three to get the yardage. Floral sheeting is sold in square yards. Floral sheeting is made of a heavy plastic backing sheet with rows of sewn-on scalloped plastic flower petal shapes.

14″ high metallic blue or white fringe is stapled to the bottom of the frame where the Floral Sheeting stops. Fringe is available in 10′ length packages. This size float requires five, 10′ packages of metallic fringe.

Metallic blue or white festooning outlines the sides of the float. Festooning is available in 48′ long rolls. This size float requires three, 48′ rolls of festooning. The floral sheeting, festooning and fringe are all made of the same plastic material (waterproof, fade-proof and flameproof) and reusable for another float at another time.

The Styrofoam letters or numbers are 8″ high, and can be used to add your slogan to the side of the float. You can paint them with inexpensive interior latex paint or leave them white. Be sure to add another board, such as plywood, to your frame under the Floral Sheeting. Just use small nails to fasten the letters to the board. As an alternative, hot glue the letters to the floral sheeting.

The snowman is formed from two 5′ plywood circles (top and bottom) connected by 2 x 4’s for the bottom snowball. Make the middle snowball out of two 3’ circles and the top out of two 1’ circles. Make the plywood circles by cutting two 2 1/2′ half-circles and fastening them together with nailed-on boards. Stapled to the circular wood frame is chicken wire, which has 1″ openings. Stuff white tissue squares in every other opening.

Paper maché accessories for the snowman like a hat and a carrot nose. Add a scarf and some branches for arms. Be sure to secure everything tightly to the snowman so it stays in place on parade day.

Once you’ve built your snowman, transform the rest of the float into a winter wonderland with winter themed decorating components like giant corex snowflakes, candy canes, snowflake pillars, or corrugated winter pine trees. Your float will look dazzling and be tons of fun to make!

Thanksgiving and Christmas are big times for parades. Creating a holiday parade float can be a great activity for your family, club, team or other organization. Bring out the cider and hot cocoa, some gingerbread cookies and these float building tips and get the festive float building under way!

Start the float building process by brainstorming for holiday themes, slogans and decorating ideas.

Once you have these ideas, the next thing you will want to do is make a sketch of your float. This will help you when you go to build it! Include the placement of your slogan, colors, and decorations. For instance, if you want the fringe to be brown and the trim to be red, label this on your sketch.

MEASURING MATERIALS FOR THE TRAILER
Before you can build your float, you need to order float materials! Here is an estimate of how much material is required to cover various standard-size floats. The measurements will give you plenty of material to cover the deck and sides of your trailer.

2’ High x 18’ Long x 8′ Wide Trailer
Three 6-yard rolls of Floral Sheeting (for deck)
One 18-yard roll of Floral Sheeting (for sides)
Three 3-pound bags of Scatter Grass (may replace floral sheeting on deck)
Six 10-foot rolls of Fringe (for perimeter)
Two 48-foot rolls of Festooning

2’ High x 24’ Long x 10’ Wide Trailer
Four 8-yard rolls of Floral Sheeting (for deck)
One 23-yard roll of Floral Sheeting (for sides)
Five 3-pound bags of Scatter Grass (may replace floral sheeting on deck)
Seven 10-foot rolls of Fringe (for perimeter)
Two 48-foot rolls of Festooning

2’ High x 32’ Long x 10’ Wide Trailer
Four 11-yard rolls of Floral Sheeting (for deck)
One 28-yard roll of Floral Sheeting (for sides)
Seven 3-pound bags of Scatter Grass (may replace floral sheeting on deck)
Nine 10-foot rolls of Fringe (for perimeter)
Two 48-foot rolls of Festooning

Float Materials Per Square Foot
If your float doesn’t fit the particular dimensions in the examples above, don’t worry! Here is an approximate break-down of the materials you will need for each square foot.

Per Square Foot
.83 feet of Floral Sheeting
.07 lbs. of Scatter Grass (optional)
.46 feet of Fringe
.74 feet of Festooning
Simply take these measurements and multiply them by the square footage of your trailer. (To determine the square footage, simply multiple the length by the width.) The result is how much material you will need. For example, if your trailer is 200 square feet, you will need 92 feet of fringe (.46 x 200 = 92).

COVERING THE TRAILER
Once you have received your float materials, it’s time to get to work! Below are some steps to follow when covering your float trailer.
1. Cover the deck and sides of the float completely with floral sheeting. (Scatter grass or grass mats can be used on the deck instead of floral sheeting.) For your holiday float, we suggest using red or green metallic or vinyl floral sheeting on the deck and sides.
2. Attach fringe to the bottom of each side of the trailer. This will cover the wheels and make the float look like it is truly “floating.” We recommend red or white vinyl fringe for a holiday theme.
3. Edge the sides of your float with festooning. Attach the festooning between the floral sheeting on the deck and the floral sheeting on the sides of the trailer. This accents the float’s straight line while creating an appealing color contrast. You can also use the festooning between the floral sheeting on the sides and the fringe. Silver metallic or white vinyl festooning would look great on a holiday float.
4. Display your slogan or school name with Styrofoam letters. The letters usually look best when attached to the floral sheeting on the sides of the trailer. You can also add them to other areas of your float. Paint the letters green or use your school colors!

Decorating your holiday float can be  as much fun as decorating your home for the holidays. Here are our tips for creating a Santa themed parade float.

Build a giant chair or throne for someone in a Santa costume to sit in or build this Santa decoration out of chicken wire and tissue squares:

Using 1 x 3 boards, build a frame shaped like a Santa stick-figure. You may have to create feet for the frame by attaching the boards to the bottom of your float with nails. Once you’ve built the frame, surround it with chicken wire. Shape the chicken wire, which you can find at many hardware or farm supply stores, into the contours of Santa, remember the big belly! Stuff every other opening in the chicken wire with red, white, or black tissue squares. Use pomps paste to hold the squares in place. Making a Santa will be complicated, but the hard work will be well worth it!

Some other options include
• Add a giant fake or real Christmas tree to the float. Have people dressed in holiday or winter apparel ride the float and decorate the tree.
• Use holiday dance decorating kits to create a winter wonderland, candy cane theme, or ski lodge theme float.
• Use giant boxes and wrap them with wrapping paper and big bows, to create a float covered in big gift packages.

Let us know what holiday float decorations you come up with!

Float Slogan Ideas

Here are some possible slogans for a Mardi Gras float. This theme is a great choice if you’re using a Mardi Gras theme for your Homecoming Dance! Substitute your school’s mascot or your opponent’s mascot as needed.
• Bourbon Street Blowout
• Show the Eagles a Bayou Blitz
• The Blazers are Gator Bait
• Un-mask the Knights
• Jazzed Up for the Jaguars
 
Once your theme and slogan are decided, brainstorm on the colors and decorative elements that would fit this theme. Here are some ideas for your jungle float.

Float Color Ideas
•  Green
•  Purple
•  Gold
•  School Colors

Float Decoration Ideas
•  Mardi Gras Throne
•  Jazz Instruments
•  Aligators
•  Swampy Area
•  Vines and Grass
•  Mardi Gras Balloons
•  Mascot

PLANNING YOUR FLOAT

One you have these ideas, the next thing you will want to do is make a sketch of your float. This will help you when you go to build it! Include the placement of your slogan, colors, and decorations. For instance, if you want the fringe to be green and the trim to be gold, label this on your sketch.
 
MEASURING MATERIALS FOR THE TRAILER

Before you can build your float, you need to order float materials! Here is an estimate of how much material is required to cover various standard-size floats. The measurements will give you plenty of material to cover the deck and sides of your trailer.

2’ High x 18’ Long x 8′ Wide Trailer
Three 6-yard rolls of Floral Sheeting (for deck)
One 18-yard roll of Floral Sheeting (for sides)
Three 3-pound bags of Scatter Grass (may replace floral sheeting on deck)
Six 10-foot rolls of Fringe (for perimeter)
Two 48-foot rolls of Festooning

2’ High x 24’ Long x 10’ Wide Trailer
Four 8-yard rolls of Floral Sheeting (for deck)
One 23-yard roll of Floral Sheeting (for sides)
Five 3-pound bags of Scatter Grass (may replace floral sheeting on deck)
Seven 10-foot rolls of Fringe (for perimeter)
Two 48-foot rolls of Festooning

2’ High x 32’ Long x 10’ Wide Trailer
Four 11-yard rolls of Floral Sheeting (for deck)
One 28-yard roll of Floral Sheeting (for sides)
Seven 3-pound bags of Scatter Grass (may replace floral sheeting on deck)
Nine 10-foot rolls of Fringe (for perimeter)
Two 48-foot rolls of Festooning

Float Materials Per Square Foot

If your float doesn’t fit the particular dimensions in the examples above, don’t worry! Here is an approximate break-down of the materials you will need for each square foot.

Per Square Foot
.83 feet of Floral Sheeting
.07 lbs. of Scatter Grass (optional)
.46 feet of Fringe
.74 feet of Festooning

Simply take these measurements and multiply them by the square footage of your trailer. (To determine the square footage, simply multiple the length by the width.) The result is how much material you will need. For example, if your trailer is 200 square feet, you will need 92 feet of fringe (.46 x 200 = 92).

COVERING THE TRAILER

Once you have received your float materials, it’s time to get to work! Below are some steps to follow when covering your float trailer.
1. Cover the deck and sides of the float completely with Floral Sheeting.
2. Attach Fringe to the bottom of each side of the trailer. This will cover the wheels and make the float look like it is truly “floating.” We recommend gold or purple metallic fringe for a Mardi Gras theme.
3. Edge the sides of your float with Festooning. Attach the festooning between the floral sheeting on the deck and the floral sheeting on the sides of the trailer. This accents the float’s straight line while creating an appealing color contrast. You can also use the festooning between the floral sheeting on the sides and the fringe. Gold metallic or green vinyl festooning would look great on a Mardi Gras float.
4. Display your slogan or school name with Styrofoam Letters. The letters usually look best when attached to the floral sheeting on the sides of the trailer. You can also add them to other areas of your float. Keep the letters white or paint them with your school colors!

CREATING DECORATIONS FOR YOUR FLOAT

Decorations are an essential part of any float. We’ve given you some basic ideas for your Mardi Gras float - but what’s the next step? Here are some suggestions for actually creating your Mardi Gras decorations!
• Use a “King of Mardi Gras” throne in the middle of your float. Your mascot can sit on it during the parade. We offer a sturdy throne that will save you the hassle of trying to build one. Although it is a royal throne, it can be easily transformed into a Mardi Gras throne! Simply drape it with metallic gold gossamer and green festooning (to look like vines).
• Order a royal King’s Crown for your mascot to wear while seated on the throne. (You can even add a royal robe as well!) Recruit a student to dress up and pose as your opponent’s mascot. The opponent’s mascot can be bowing down to your mascot or simply have the opposing mascot costume bitten in half by an aligator.
• Create several trees out of chicken wire (available at hardware stores) and tissue pomps. Each palm tree should measure approximately 6’ high x 10” in diameter. Make a tube using 6’ high x 20” wide chicken wire (available at a hardware store), attach the wire to a vertical wood beam, and stuff it with brown Tissue Pomps. Tissue pomps can go in every other opening. Attach each tree to a wooden base for support. To make the leaves, attach strong (but thin) wire to the top of each tube and hang Green Fringe from the wires. Place a tree on either side of the throne.
 
• Make vines from green Festooning. Drape the vines around the palm trees and throne.
 
• Inflate lots of Mardi Gras Mask Around Balloons with helium and tie them together in bunches with curling ribbon. Make four separate bunches of balloons and place one bunch on each corner of your float.
  
• Add aligators, snakes, and other swamp creatures to your float, if desired. These elements can be made from chicken wire and tissue pomps or painted plywood.

Check out Mardi Gras decorations at ShindigZ.com for more accents for your float!

The goal for your first meeting as a committee should be to decide your float theme and slogan. Usually the school sets the overall theme for the parade, and it is up to each class to decide the specific theme for their float. Discuss your theme options (paying attention to how easy the theme would be to portray), what decorative elements would be required, and how it fits in with the overall parade theme.

After you have come up with several workable themes and slogans, take a committee vote to decide the final choice.

Before you go any further on your float planning, check out our exclusive Building a Parade Float book! It’s packed with tips, how-to’s, sketches, and more to help you with every stage of your building.

Float Slogan Ideas

Here are some possible slogans for a jungle float. This theme is a great choice if your mascot is a jungle animal (lion, tiger, panther, etc.) or if you’re using a jungle theme for your Homecoming Dance! Substitute your school’s mascot or your opponent’s mascot as needed.
•  Welcome to the Jungle
•  Give the Bulldogs Jungle Fever
•  The Lions Are Kings of the Jungle!
•  Send The Mustangs to the Jungle!
•  M. H. S. Panthers Don’t Monkey Around!
•  Hunting for Liberty High Warriors
•  Hunting Down a Victory
•  Swinging to a Victory
•  Trap the Cardinals
•  It’s a Jungle Out There
 
Once your theme and slogan are decided, brainstorm on the colors and decorative elements that would fit this theme. Here are some ideas for your jungle float.

Float Color Ideas
•  Green
•  Brown
•  Yellow or Gold
•  School Colors

Float Decoration Ideas
•  “King of the Jungle” Throne
•  Palm Trees
•  Monkeys
•  Butterflies
•  Tigers
•  Vines and Grass
•  Safari Balloons
•  Mascot

PLANNING YOUR FLOAT
One you have these ideas, the next thing you will want to do is make a sketch of your float. This will help you when you go to build it! Include the placement of your slogan, colors, and decorations. For instance, if you want the fringe to be green and the trim to be gold, label this on your sketch.

MEASURING MATERIALS FOR THE TRAILER

Before you can build your float, you need to order float materials! Here is an estimate of how much material is required to cover various standard-size floats. The measurements will give you plenty of material to cover the deck and sides of your trailer.

2’ High x 18’ Long x 8′ Wide Trailer
Three 6-yard rolls of Floral Sheeting (for deck)
One 18-yard roll of Floral Sheeting (for sides)
Three 3-pound bags of Scatter Grass (may replace floral sheeting on deck)
Six 10-foot rolls of Fringe (for perimeter)
Two 48-foot rolls of Festooning

2’ High x 24’ Long x 10’ Wide Trailer
Four 8-yard rolls of Floral Sheeting (for deck)
One 23-yard roll of Floral Sheeting (for sides)
Five 3-pound bags of Scatter Grass (may replace floral sheeting on deck)
Seven 10-foot rolls of Fringe (for perimeter)
Two 48-foot rolls of Festooning

2’ High x 32’ Long x 10’ Wide Trailer
Four 11-yard rolls of Floral Sheeting (for deck)
One 28-yard roll of Floral Sheeting (for sides)
Seven 3-pound bags of Scatter Grass (may replace floral sheeting on deck)
Nine 10-foot rolls of Fringe (for perimeter)
Two 48-foot rolls of Festooning

Float Materials Per Square Foot

If your float doesn’t fit the particular dimensions in the examples above, don’t worry! Here is an approximate break-down of the materials you will need for each square foot.

Per Square Foot
.83 feet of Floral Sheeting
.07 lbs. of Scatter Grass (optional)
.46 feet of Fringe
.74 feet of Festooning

Simply take these measurements and multiply them by the square footage of your trailer. (To determine the square footage, simply multiple the length by the width.) The result is how much material you will need. For example, if your trailer is 200 square feet, you will need 92 feet of fringe (.46 x 200 = 92).

COVERING THE TRAILER

Once you have received your float materials, it’s time to get to work! Below are some steps to follow when covering your float trailer.
1. Cover the deck and sides of the float completely with floral sheeting. (Scatter grass or grass mats can be used on the deck instead of floral sheeting.) For your jungle float, we suggest using scatter grass or grass mats on the deck and green floral sheeting for the sides.
2. Attach fringe to the bottom of each side of the trailer. This will cover the wheels and make the float look like it is truly “floating.” We recommend brown vinyl fringe for a jungle theme.
3. Edge the sides of your float with festooning. Attach the festooning between the floral sheeting on the deck and the floral sheeting on the sides of the trailer. This accents the float’s straight line while creating an appealing color contrast. You can also use the festooning between the floral sheeting on the sides and the fringe. Gold metallic or yellow vinyl festooning would look great on a jungle float.
4. Display your slogan or school name with styrofoam letters. The letters usually look best when attached to the floral sheeting on the sides of the trailer. You can also add them to other areas of your float. Keep the letters white or paint them with your school colors!

CREATING DECORATIONS FOR YOUR FLOAT

Decorations are an essential part of any float. We’ve given you some basic ideas for your jungle float - but what’s the next step? Here are some suggestions for actually creating your jungle decorations!
• Use a “King of the Jungle” throne in the middle of your float. Your mascot can sit on it during the parade. We offer a sturdy throne that will save you the hassle of trying to build one. Although it is a royal throne, it can be easily transformed into a jungle throne! Simply drape it with palm leaf gossamer and green festooning (to look like vines).
• Order a royal king’s crown for your mascot to wear while seated on the throne. (You can even add a royal robe as well!) Recruit a student to dress up and pose as your opponent’s mascot. The opponent’s mascot can be bowing down to your mascot or fanning him with a large palm leaf.
• Create several palm trees out of chicken wire (available at hardware stores) and tissue pomps. Each palm tree should measure approximately 6’ high x 10” in diameter. Make a tube using 6’ high x 20” wide chicken wire (available at a hardware store), attach the wire to a vertical wood beam, and stuff it with brown tissue pomps. Tissue pomps can go in every other opening. Attach each tree to a wooden base for support. To make the palm leaves, attach strong (but thin) wire to the top of each tube and hang green fringe from the wires. Place a tree on either side of the throne.
 
• Make vines from green festooning. Drape the vines around the palm trees and throne.
 
• Inflate lots of safari balloons with helium and tie them together in bunches with curling ribbon. Make four separate bunches of balloons and place one bunch on each corner of your float.
 
• Use scatter grass on the deck of your float instead of traditional float sheeting. This will give your float more of an authentic jungle look!
 
• Add monkeys, butterflies, tigers, and other jungle creatures to your float, if desired. These elements can be made from chicken wire and tissue pomps or painted plywood. 

Check out all of our float building tips!

If you’re participating in a fall or Halloween parade, a Halloween parade float is a great way for you to make the most of the season and encourage school spirit. Here are our tips for a cool Halloween float.

The float is built on an 8′ x 16′ farm wagon with the back removed. A similar size trailer, used to move small construction equipment, might be borrowed from a local construction company. The float also might be built on the back of a flat bed truck.

A light wooden frame, made of #2 1 x 3 pine surrounds the wagon. The frame extends from the top of the wagon bed to 15″ from the ground. You can find wood for the frame at your local lumberyard. A basic frame this size requires approximately 140′ of lumber.

Waterproof, flameproof floral sheeting is stapled to the frame. This size float requires 16 yards of vinyl floral sheeting for the sides. To calculate how much floral sheeting you need for your float, measure the distance around in feet and divide by three to get the yardage. Floral sheeting is sold in square yards. Floral sheeting is made of a heavy plastic backing sheet with rows of sewn-on scalloped plastic flower petal shapes. The floor requires 128 square feet of indoor/outdoor Carpeting. 14″ high vinyl fringe is stapled to the bottom of the frame where the floral sheeting stops. Fringe is available in 10′ length packages. This size float requires five, 10′ packages of vinyl fringe.

Vinyl festooning outlines the sides of the float. Festooning is available in 48′ long rolls. This size float requires three, 48′ rolls of vinyl festooning. The floral sheeting, festooning and fringe are all made of the same plastic material (waterproof, fade-proof and flameproof) and reusable for another float at another time. Order floral sheeting, festooning and fringe from Stumps.

Use Styrofoam letters to add your slogan or school name to the side of your float. The Styrofoam letters or numbers are 8″ high. You can paint them with inexpensive interior latex paint or leave them white. Be sure to add another board, such as plywood, to your frame under the floral sheeting. Just use small nails to fasten the letters to the board. As an alternative, hot glue the letters to the floral sheeting.

Once you’ve created the base of your float, it’s time to start the decorating. You can build decorations out of chicken wire and 1×3 pieces of wood.

For example, create a pumpkin by cutting four semi circles. Nail the semi circles together and attach them with straight pieces of wood. Attach chicken wire with a staple gun or nails and shape it into a circle. Cover the decoration in orange tissue squares and use festooning or plywood to create a leaf, vine and stem for your pumpkin. You can also use black tissue squares to create a face on your pumpkin for a Jack-O-Lantern. Similarly, you could create a witch hat making a cone and a flat base.

Here is a break down of how to calculate the amount of materials you will need:

Per Square Foot
.83 feet of Floral Sheeting
.07 lbs. of Scatter Grass (optional)
.46 feet of Fringe
.74 feet of Festooning

Send us your Halloween float ideas and pictures!

Show your school spirit for the big game with this Paw Power float design. Add your own creative or personal touch by changing the panther into your school mascot, such as a bulldog, lion, tiger, or wildcat, and changing the accent colors to your school colors. Adding bunches of balloons in your school colors makes a great touch! Check out the How-to-Build a Float book for more tips.

This float is designed for an 8’ x 16’ farm wagon with the back removed. A similar size trailer might be borrowed from a local construction company. You could also build the float on the back of a flat bed truck. Be sure to adjust your measurements and quantities of materials according to the size of your base vehicle.

Start by constructing a light wood frame from 140’ of #2 1/3 pine from a local lumberyard. The frame should start at the top of the wagon bed and extend to 15” from the ground.

Staple waterproof, flameproof floral sheeting to the frame. To calculate how much floral sheeting you need for your float, measure the distance around in feet and divide by three to get your yardage. This size float uses 16 yards of yellow vinyl floral sheeting for the sides and 15 yards dark green floral sheeting for the floor.

Attach 14” high dark green vinyl fringe to the bottom of the frame where the floral sheeting stops. Fringe is available in 10’ packages, perfect for the classic “floating” look. This size float requires five 10’ packages of dark green vinyl fringe.

Outline the sides of the float in dark green vinyl festooning, sold in 48’ rolls. This float uses three rolls. Floral sheeting, festooning and fringe are made from waterproof, fade-proof and flameproof plastic, reusable for another float.

Add your float slogan with Styrofoam letters and numbers, 8” high each. You can paint them with interior latex paint or leave them white. Add another board behind your floral sheeting to nail the letters to or hot glue them directly to the floral sheeting.

Construct the 10’ wide (at bottom) x 8’ high x 1’ thick football and panther component out of 140’ #2 1×3 lumber and 80’ of 18” chicken wire with 1” openings, which you can find at any farm supply or hardware store. Use the lumber to build a frame for the component and cover it with the chicken wire, stapling the chicken wire to the frame.

Once the frame is built and covered, stuff tissue pomps into the openings to finish the design. The football and panther require approximately 40 packages of brown pomps, 22 packages of black pomps, and eight packages of grey pomps. Use pomps paste to keep the pomps in place, even in the wind. You’ll need four 1 pint cans of paste, which cleans up easily with warm water.

We created the panther’s teeth with white cardboard and lined the float with 17” x 22” spirit yard signs. You can add your own personalized wording!

Add a fun touch to your float on parade day by having a panther mascot or your school mascot ride the float. It’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser!

The materials listed are based on the football and panther appearing the same from both sides of the float.