It’s hardly that feeling of closing in on the finish – the exhilarating, mad dash pace to meet the deadline, commonly known as “Crunch Time,” – down the stretch ahead of the annual Rose Parade on January 1 when the clock seems to tick a little faster than usual leading up to the major spectacle.
Life is certainly much slower this time of year around South Pasadena’s city float, which has a long, rich, and award-winning history, but those closest to it, including Ed Donnelly, the chair of the committee overseeing its development from start to finish, recognize the task to complete it is a long process.
“We start work on the next parade in January,” explained Donnelly. “Our design committee selects and submits our design for the next parade in mid-February. Once it’s accepted by the Tournament of Roses organization, we begin work on construction drawings – the blueprint we use to build the float. In the meantime, we are working on a number of fundraisers including Legendary Bingo Night on March 28, a yard sale in May and our annual golf tournament in June.”
It takes top dollars, somewhere in the range of roughly $150,000 to construct and decorate the city’s floral masterpiece.
“The largest expense are the flowers themselves, the second largest expense is the massive tent we rent for five months while we build,” said Donnelly, referring to the float site on the backside of the War Memorial building in the 400 block of Fair Oaks Avenue in town. “We are only able to do this each year due to the amazing generosity of our community in South Pasadena. We are 100% funded by donations from residents and small businesses.”
Someday, Donnelly would like his dream of having the giant circus-like tent replaced with a permanent structure come true, favoring the idea of working in a warmer environment – especially during those harsh, cold winter nights – and having the property tightly secured from potential vandalism.
The South Pasadena Tournament of Roses Committee (SPTOR) that Donnelly oversees meets monthly, focuses on everything from float design, construction, decoration and fundraising to souvenir sales, publicity, digital media, marketing and more. One major goal annually is to fill the numerous committee chair positions.
“Our main focus for the March meeting was nominating a new board,” noted Donnelly. “This year we have several new committee members who are relatively new to the team. We still have some openings and are looking for additional help.”
Support from those willing to give their time, lending a hand to the float’s success, is always welcome, insists Donnelly, recognizing that South Pasadena’s entry is one of six self-builts – those put together entirely by volunteers – in the parade each year, joining the cities of Burbank, Downey, Sierra Madre, La Cañada Flintridge and Cal Poly Universities.
“We are actively looking for volunteers to fill key roles running fundraising events and leading our construction team,” Donnelly said. “Filling these roles will set us up for success on January first.”
To jump on board, all it takes is an email to Donnelly, letting him know you’re interested in being a part of the city’s float. “We keep our website updated with volunteer opportunities,” he said. “People can reach out through the website or email me directly at [email protected].”
In recent years, the hard work from those on the construction and decorating side of the committee, teaming up with hundreds of volunteers in the community and beyond contributing time, has resulted in a series of award-winning floats judged by the Tournament of Roses ahead of the New Year’s Day parade down Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena.
In the latest effort, South Pasadena’s 2025 float – “Seas the Day” – captured the Fantasy Trophy. A year earlier, the city won the Founder Award for “Boogie Fever,” before winning the Bob Hope Humor Award in 2023 for “Spark of Imagination,” and the Founder Award again in 2022 for “Sky’s the Limit.”
COVID-19 cancelled the parade 2021, momentarily slowing down the momentum of two straight years of awards. In both 2020 and 2019, Mayor Awards came the city’s way for “Victory at Last,” and “Three Little Birds,” respectively.
Proudly, South Pasadena has earned award recognition from the Tournament House in the past six parades.
“We don’t build the float with awards in mind, but we sure do appreciate it when the hard work of our team is recognized,” Donnelly said. “Being proud of what a team of volunteers can accomplish never gets old.”
The parade theme for the 2026 parade is “The Magic of Teamwork,” and the SPTOR president says the collaboration of talent is found everywhere when it comes to the creation of the city’s entry each year.
“Our design reflects the joys of working together in a very South Pas way,” said Donnelly, noting that the city’s next float design will be announced in May.
As he steers the direction of the SPTOR Committee, he will never miss an opportunity to praise and thank those who give up so much of their personal time – often nights and weekends – devoting their attention to the float.
“This is my third year as president of SPTOR,” said Donnelly. “I am incredibly proud of the hard work our volunteers do and I want to be sure we can sustain the organization and this long running community tradition. This includes still working towards building a permanent home for the float.”
